Puzzle Questions at Job Interview

kiddie · September 2019

Yesterday, at a job interview my daughter was asked a pretty simple puzzle/brainteaser. She has several years of work experience, so this was not for an entry level position. I was wondering what puzzle questions you or your child has been asked on a job interview. These are questions with definite answers (not those situational ones that are all the rage with college recruiters - "how would you figure out how many ping pong balls would fit in a car").

She was asked - if you can buy a bat and a ball for $1.10 and the bat is $1 more than the ball what is the cost of each item. Easy algebra question in my opinion!

thumper1 · September 2019

Was that really the question?

helpingmom40 · September 2019

I worked with someone who had a degree in industrial psychology and his favorite question to ask job applicants was “If you were a piece of fruit, what would you be?” Surprisingly, there is a right answer: a grape (or banana) because you can be part of the group while still maintaining your individuality. Who knew...

kiddie · September 2019

Yep - the bat and ball one was asked yesterday - the ping pong ball one she was asked when looking for a job senior year in college.

bookworm · September 2019

It took me a few minutes to come up with the answer. That would cost me the job.

doschicos · September 2019

I can understand asking the ping pong ball type questions - that type of question is all about reasoning and thought process, common in analytical jobs.

I think I'd find the bat and ball question insulting for a job for an experienced worker.

The fruit type questions are too pop psychology for me and I'd seriously re-think whether I wanted to work for that employer.

TheBigChef · September 2019

My sister, who graduated from Yale undergrad and Harvard Business School worked in finance for many years. I remember her telling me that these puzzle questions were part of the interview process at investment banks. And the puzzles were much more difficult than the one posed by OP. This was 25 years ago, I don’t know if this is still done anymore.

doschicos · September 2019

It is.

eyemamom · September 2019

We have candidates take an online test before an interview. It’s pretty easy but we need to make sure the candidates can type, have basic knowledge and attention to detail. It’s also not a college graduate level job.
I hate these other questions, how can there be a correct fruit?! I think you can assess a person far better having a guided conversation and situational discussions than puzzles and weird psychological questions.

mathmom · September 2019

My son got asked the fruit question for a summer job and said he'd be an orange. I can't remember exactly why - but something like a tough and sturdy outside, but sweet inside perhaps. I don't think there's a right answer, it's just another way to get some idea of how you think and what you think your strengths are. (He got the job BTW.)

Sue22 · September 2019

My husband used to work for a management consulting firm and they used to ask a question about how many gallons of paint it would take to paint every house in America. There was no right answer, it was just about seeing how the candidate thought and how thorough they were in their reasoning. Probably also how cool they could stay under pressure.

Back in the 80's my interviewer at Vassar wrapped up my interview by asking, "What do you think is the most pressing problem facing the world today and how would you solve it?" I stumbled through a reasonably coherent answer about the overuse of natural resources, involving overpopulation, women's health and global income disparity, but it definitely soured me on the school. I thought, "Are you seriously asking a 17 year old how to solve the world's most pressing problem?"

bjscheel · September 2019

DD was asked two puzzles at an interview this summer- one was how many times do a clock's hand cross in a day. Answer is 22. She just said "I want to say 24 but I'm sure that's not right." I forget the other one. She thought it was ridiculous.

Iglooo · September 2019

The fruit question and the "correct" answer to it is farfetched, over analyzing. As prediabetic, I avoid grapes and bananas like a plague. They have the highest sugar content. Sorry, the puzzle questions sound stupid, just way too clever to my taste.

ucbalumnus · September 2019

doschicos wrote: »

I think I'd find the bat and ball question insulting for a job for an experienced worker.

Seems like a test of whether one can apply basic high (or middle) school math.

But then we have students on these forums who have no idea how to calculate unweighted (or any) GPA.

blossom · September 2019

There is no right answer to the fruit question. But there IS a wrong answer- a hostile look, arms folded, "Why are you asking me such a stupid question".

There are myriad ways to evaluate a candidate. Some are illegal, some are not illegal but contradict a company's diversity and inclusion efforts, and some are tired and too easy to game ("what's your biggest weakness?" which usually gets the answer "I work too hard").

I find it amusing that the same people that decry elitist hiring practices (only recruiting at Stanford, Yale and Harvard) decry the NON-ELITIST hiring practices (getting a look into how someone responds to getting a curve ball- which is pretty much a daily occurrence in many jobs and professions).

Teach your kid to smile, lean in, and answer the question any way he or she wishes. That's the right answer- I don't get rattled when something unexpected comes my way.

And you would be surprised how many kids with gold plated resumes can't do fourth grade arithmetic. My company stopped recruiting at a highly regarded undergrad business program because even the kids who had departmental honors or were admitted to one of the honors societies just couldn't handle the basics. When we had to put our fingers on the scale when grading a pretty basic "analytical reasoning" test, we knew we had a problem. First we eliminated the timing- "take as much time as you need to think through the questions" and then we adjusted the scaling. Ultimately we realized- "massive grade inflation" and just headed somewhere else.

UCB- Yes- I love the "what's my GPA" questions on CC!!!

ProfessorPlum168 · September 2019

Years ago, I got asked “why is the sky blue?” The interviewer just wanted to know how I would react to an off-the-wall question since this was a professional services consultant gig.

Sue22 · September 2019

My answer to one of these questions today would most likely be "Let me Google that for you!"

abasket · September 2019

A odd question like many of these mentioned should come with an explanation ahead of time of what's to come. "During our interview today we want to get to know you and your skills/personality/whatever through a series of questions, some traditional some unique. Just answer to the best of your ability and don't worry if you don't have a perfect answer on the spot". Or something!

blossom · September 2019

abasket- really? Someone needs to be told that an interview is a series of questions to get to know them and their skills/personalities?

roycroftmom · September 2019

I do think one's tolerance for such silly questions declines with age and experience. It is the current fad in HR, but perhaps won't last long. I think it grew out of the tech firms odd questions to determine if applicants were inclined towards using algorithms, a relevant factor for their employees but not for most others.

doschicos · September 2019

If it's a fad, it's been around for decades. I remember the "what kind of tree would you be?" question from 2-3 decades ago. To me, they are easy to answer and of course you just smile through it and give them an answer. It doesn't rattle me but it does make me think lesser of the person/company asking. They are almost a cliche at this point so an interviewee shouldn't be surprised at receiving some version of the question.

I taught my kids back in middle school, when applying for prep schools, an easy stall tactic to collect your thoughts is "That's an interesting question. Let me think about it a moment." Better to be thoughtful, IMO, and think for 30 seconds than blurting out something stupid or sitting there like a deer in the headlights.

Puzzle Questions at Job Interview

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