The crazy game of interviewing
At some point in your career you are going to be interviewed and you will have to conduct interviews - this issue of the newsletter is going to offer some tips and tricks on how to get the best out of the process from both sides of the table.
Interviewing doggedly remains an essential part of career advancement as much for marketers as anyone else, despite its actual weakness as a selection tool. Tomes upon tomes have been written about interviewing and I am not about to regurgitate it all here. What I am going to share is a line of questioning that you can surface at various stages of an interview to make the interview more engaging, more revealing and often more insightful…I am talking about the quirky questions. To be balanced I will also share some tips for dealing with them if you are on the receiving end.
Quirky questions are usually used to address matters such as an ability to think on one’s feet; an ability to think logically/laterally; an ability to cope with stress; vision; ambition; creative thinking; and so on. They are less about the capability to do a given job and are more about just who is sitting in front of you. They are designed to get behind the fa?ade of the polished and prepped interviewee. [Note to self: don’t articles like these help them prepare for those quirky questions??? Hmmm]
Quirky questions often have no right or wrong answer and even if they do it would be impossible for anyone to know that answer off the top of their head; eg how many cups of coffee are drunk in Sydney CBD between 10:00 – 11:00 am on a normal weekday? What you are probing for is critical thinking; what else do they need to know; how would they work it out etc.
Some Ice Breakers
If you could have any super-power which would you choose and why?
If you woke up tomorrow morning, and there were no humans left on the earth—just animals—what kind of animal are you?
Who is your favourite fictional character? Why them?
You are having a dinner party and can invite four celebrities from any walk of life – who do you choose?
Name a brand that identifies you as a person.
Gaining insight to values, vision and ambition
If you walk out of here and win the lottery, what will you do with your life?
What are the character traits you like the most and the least in your parents?
If Hollywood made a movie about your life, whom would you like to see play the lead role as you?
If you found a carrier bag with $10,000 cash inside – what would you do?
Who do you admire most in Australian society? Why them?
(At the end of the interview) What do you think I will remember most about you from this interview?
Lateral thinking and creativity
You’ve been given an elephant. You can’t give it away or sell it. What would you do with the elephant?
Why are manhole covers round? (old Google favourite)
领英推荐
How many books could you fit in this room?
How much would you charge to clean all the windows within Sydney CBD?
What two things, aside from food and water, would you want on a deserted island??
Of course you should use any of the above sparingly; this is a serious business and you do not want prospective employees to leave thinking they have just auditioned to go on Graham Norton! For an impressive list of more traditional, probing questions regarding ability, attitude and aptitude, I highly recommend this list from Hire.
What if you are on the receiving end of these types of questions – apart from these specific ones, you are unlikely to be prepared. Here are some tips:
What is the quirkiest question you have asked in an interview or that has been asked of you? And how did you handle it? Comment below.
If you have any suggestions for topics you would like covering in future issues, please leave them in the comments below. Also, if you have any suggestions to add to my Resources page, I’m all ears.
And of course – if you want to chat about your own career management or a piece of recruitment you might need some support on;
Until next time,
Andy
Fractional CMO | Marketing Strategist | Coach | Mentor
2 年I like some of these for conversation starters generally, not just in an interview! Great icebreakers for new teams, new friends, or even the ones you know already....
Marketing Leader | B2B | Demand Generation | Product Marketing | Digital Marketing | Content Creator | Storyteller | Events
2 年Andy Rouse, I have to say that if an employer asked me these types of questions, I would instantly be questioning what type of person I'd be working with, and the environment/culture of the company. I did find myself trying to answer them in my head as I read through your article. Where I came unstuck with this line of questioning was where it asked about my parents characteristic qualities. That's a question a step too far IMO!
An experienced marketing recruiter, member of the Wetherby Beer Festival Committee and dog handler for Pets as Therapy.
2 年Great article Andy. One development that some companies are adopting is a more transparent interview. Instead of trying to use the interview to catch people out, they use it to get the best of people. So, signposting the criteria for a competency based interviews allows the interviewee to prepare an answer based on those requirements. Explaining in detail the types of questions and structure of an interview. Even saying that you will be asked some quirky questions, so these don't come entirely out of the blue. After all, we want to replicate their behaviour as if they were working for us, not some Alan Sugar, Apprentice style approach to humiliate and bully.
Senior Marketer | The Marketing Academy Alumni | Mentor
2 年Love some of these interview questions Andy Rouse!
Career Coach | Outplacement Specialist | Recruiter | Helping people find jobs and jobs find people | 185+ LinkedIn recommendations
2 年Interesting read Andy - thanks for putting together and sharing. And equally relevant for non marketing interviews. One comment, in this day and age I think interviewers need to be very aware the interview is a two way street. They need to sell as well as expect to be sold to. I personally find the abstract, 'edgy' questions about what animal you would be etc to be outdated and demeaning / insulting. Treat people as adults and they will respond better. I go further and advise my coaching clients to judge very harshly interviewers / companies who resort to such google-esque questions! Just my two pennies!!