How many couches are in America?

How many couches are there in America?

According to Work It Daily, that is the 7th most common interview question.

Seems a little out there I know, but a question like that intends to make a candidate show that they can think on their feet, handle pressure, and think critically.

While candidates always strive to be adaptable it's easy to be hijacked over a question like this. I struggle with these types of questions due to overthinking. It's not that I couldn't give an educated guess, but I instantly want additional information.

"Are we referring to North and South America or just the US?"

"How are we determining what does and does not qualify as a couch?"

"Are we talking about couches that are currently being utilized or am I including the ones that are in dumpsters and landfills?"

All of these additional questions may seem like a lot to some people, but my fellow overthinkers and detail-oriented individuals can probably relate to this on some level.

While it may be easy to fall down the rabbit hole when faced with a question like this it's important to take a step back and realize that you can set the parameters yourself.

Take that question as an opportunity to walk the interviewer through your thought process on how you would find out the answer.

For a question like this one I may say something along the lines of the following: "Well, to figure out how many couches are in North America (already setting my first parameter), I would start by deciding that I would only be considering a traditional household sofa (second parameter). From there I would simply take the population of North America and divide it by the average household size in North America. This would give me a rough estimate of how many couches are in North America."

While I have more parameters I would like to set in my mind, such as accounting for houses with more than one couch, these questions are not about answering every variable, but instead about showing the how.

It's okay to be wary of the unknown, but don't allow that panic to cause you to miss out on a new opportunity.

Most importantly, relax.

If you have made it to an interview an interviewer already knows based on your resume and maybe even a phone screen that you have the knowledge, skills, and abilities required for the role. Show them who you are outside of that piece of paper and remember that you got this!