Weird Job Interview Questions And Answers – Part 2

This article is Part 2 of Weird Job Interview Questions and Answers.

1. What color is your brain?

Hiring managers sometimes ask off-beat questions like this one to try to get to know the job candidate in a different way. Typically, candidates can predict some of the general interview questions, so hiring managers don’t get to know the candidate’s personality that well. Questions like this one can help test the creativity and uniqueness of the candidate. It can help show what makes you tick and how well you think on your feet. There really isn’t a right or wrong answer to this question. As long as you choose a color, and have a relevant reason for choosing it, hiring managers will be pleased by your answer. Just don’t give a color and say, “I think that’s the color of it.” 

Tips:

• Think about colors in association with the moods and qualities they are generally associated with. For example, blue can bring about feelings of sadness, coolness or serenity; red can be aggressive, passionate, or fiery. Choose a color that positively matches your personality in relation to the job you’re applying for.
• Don’t be thrown off by questions that seem random or completely irrelevant for a job. Always think about the question in relation to the job you want and answer to the best of your ability.

Example: “I imagine my brain would be purple because it’s a very bold and confident color, and I believe it matches my personality and outlook in the workplace.”

2. If you win the lottery tomorrow, would you still work?

Let’s be real, how many people would continue working a full-time job if they didn’t need to? On the other hand, you may find you’d get bored if you never had to work again in your life. Meaningful work does have psychological benefits for a lot of people. I once asked a job candidate this question, and their response was, “Of course I wouldn’t work. Who would want to keep working if you had the money to enjoy your life?” While this may be true for many, hiring managers ask this question to see if you actually enjoy what you do, and if this is the type of work you want to be doing (or field you want to be in), as opposed to something you just got stuck in and now continue to work in because you have to.

Tips:

• Give your honest opinion, but then bring the question back to the reality of the situation. You haven’t won the lottery, and at the moment this is the field you enjoy working in, and where you have developed your skills to be successful.
• If you make it appear as if you’re only working for money and do not even enjoy what you do, you’ll damage your chances of landing the position.

Example: “If I win the lottery tomorrow, I may consider working fewer hours in order to spend more time with my family, or take time off to enjoy a holiday; however, I would want to continue working to some extent. I enjoy what I do and I think I would really miss it if I were to stop working.”

3. What do you think of garden gnomes?

As crazy as this question sounds for an interview, Trader Joe’s asks job candidates this question for a Team Member position. This is a humorous question designed to see how well you would fit in at the company and their particular culture. Trader Joe’s for example, prides themselves on their unconventional practices and their employees even wear Hawaiian shirts as their uniform. You can use your sense of humor to answer this question. It doesn’t particularly matter whether you like garden gnomes or not, as long as you can show that you can take things lightly and not get stumped by a random question such as this one. You can even relate your answer to the position you are applying for if possible.

Tips:

• Don’t get too caught up on finding the right or wrong answer for this type of question.
• Sometimes the answer the hiring manager is looking for has more to do with how you think and how well you would fit in with the company culture.
• With these types of questions, it’s okay to show your sense of humor, especially if you know the company you’re interviewing for values a sense of humor.

Example: “Garden gnomes make a lot of people smile, which is beneficial in a retail environment. They also appear to be hardworking, jovial and adventurous. As long as they’re not hiding in the garden so people get scared when they see them, I’d say they’re a happy edition to any garden.”

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Take a look at Gavin Redelman’s 6 career eBooks on bookboon.com.