Do candidates like those off-the-wall questions?
May 13, 2008 by Sam NarisiPosted in: Assessing the right candidate, In This Week's E-Newsletter, Interviewing, Latest News & Views
To get candidates thinking on their toes, some companies use oddball interview questions they couldn’t possibly have prepared for. Does it work, or just tick everyone off?
It’s the latest recruiting fad: weird, random questions that have nothing to do with the job (and often, nothing to do with much of anything at all). Google is famous for it. But does that make it a good idea?
There’s some interesting anecdotal evidence about the negative effects of these quirky tactics in this blog post here. There are some comments from job seekers about how questions like “How would you design a bike for the visually impaired?” and “How would you determine the weight of a Boeing 747?” let them know pretty quickly the job wasn’t for them.
A better way?
Interviewers can still try to avoid canned responses to questions candidates are expecting while still not straying too far from reality. There are plenty of uncommon questions that are still job-related. For example, if you’re interviewing for a management position, ask the candidate about a time her or she had to fire someone, or do some other difficult deed.
Also, asking how someone would handle a slightly far-fetched, but not out of the question, workplace scenario can let you know how people think on their feet.
But what do you think? Have you used these new interviewing tactics? Does it work? Let us know in the comments section.
May 12th, 2008 at 1:29 pm
There are enough questions to ask which are job related. I think they are a waste of time. Also, I’ve learned that the safe way to interview is to be sure the questions are job-related, as opposed to questions about family or religion, for example. I don’t see how unrelated questions are anything but a bad idea !
May 16th, 2008 at 2:29 pm
re: Interview questions
We commonly use behaviorial style questions for supervisory and management positions. For example: “Tell me about a time when you discovered an employee doing something dishonest and how you handled the situation.” “Sometimes finding a better way is not always the best thing to do. Tell me about a time when you made a mistake by trying to improve something.” “Tell me about a time when you had an employee who was slacking off and how you handled the sitaution.” “There are times when you need to choose between being right and getting something done. Tell me about a time when you let someone else be right even though you disagreed.” These types of questions show us the depth of experience a candidate has and also how they have functioned in a stressful environment.
May 16th, 2008 at 3:55 pm
This is a sure way to turn off a prospective candidate. I resent those who can’t conduct a discussion of qualifications without playing games. It’s insulting!
May 17th, 2008 at 5:17 am
As an owner of a company, I look for individuals that are visionary in any position of the company. To expose and allow the articulation of such, “off the wall” questions are a simple and effective tool that most successful companies would have no compunction in employing. Furthermore, a candidate that is insulted by the same, fears more than just the “question” and is not viable candidate. Although some may struggle answering such questions, it quickly indicates the person’s ability to think on their feet and outside of the box. Depending on the job requirements, the level of importance of this type of question is certainly relative, but even the entry level job candidate should and could be able to provide a “better mousetrap” allowing for better productivity/customer satisfaction.
May 19th, 2008 at 4:56 pm
I don’t see the behavioral questions as off-the-wall; in-fact it’s how we learn most about our potential employees. However, I don’t see any reason why someone would WANT to ask a question that is not job related. What a way to set yourself up for a lawsuit … not smart.
May 20th, 2008 at 5:08 pm
I think behavioral based questions are more effective than off the wall questions. I’ve done group interviews with managers who like to ask odd-ball questions, and while you get interesting hypothetical answers, they’re still hypothetical. I’d rather hear about an experience the employee had having to make a quick decision on their own, or having to come up with a plan for something unconventional and the process they went through to design it rather than what they think they might due if something absurd were to happen to them.
June 26th, 2008 at 9:23 am
I think that an off-the-wall question, AFTER the questions needed to determine candidacy are completed, is a fun way to end an interview, and it always brings a laugh. But it’s not for stiff and stuffy interviewers.
I sometimes ask if they know why a worm has no eyes. There’s nothing to be gained from this ridiculous question but a laugh, which is a great way to end an interview.
Some interviewers throw them around as though they have some significance or hidden meaning. They don’t. Lighten up, HR folks!
July 1st, 2008 at 2:54 am
American business is addicted to fads. Everyone is under tremendous pressure to run faster and be smarter, leaner, and meaner, so any newfangled fad like odd ball interview questions looks like salvation. These fads seldom have any lasting Impact on business. Popping into existence everywhere, they just as quickly vanish. They pop in and out like virtual particles in the vacuum of space. When fads roll out, there is a fever for them exhibited by a flushed face and exaggerated zeal. Overnight, seminars and workshops pop up (usually in Las Vegas). Top management is concerned that if they don’t jump aboard, the competition will use the newest fad, and they will be eating dust. Teams form. Internal implementation plans are developed. ‘Train the trainer’ sessions are rampant. Training for employees is conducted at a frenzied pace. Entire departments spring up to drive the new fad and track its progress. Management gets plum giddy as they advocate the glory of the fad’s effectiveness. Then, the new fad dies on the vine, and it’s business as usual. Fads? – No thanks. Michael L. Gooch, SPHR Author of Wingtips with Spurs: Cowboy Wisdom for Today’s Business Leaders http://www.michaellgooch.com