Puzzle Questions at Job Interview

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.

@blossom, if it’s a math question for a non-math position and/or the interviewer is just looking to insert some jazz into THEIR time involved in an interview - well yes! Admit that some of the questions are just out of the ordinary!

Some larger companies have standardized interview processes and types of questions, and their recruiters tell applicants what these types of questions are, presumably to “level the playing field” between those who know what to prep for and those who may not.

Employers should be asking about the skills and traits relevant to the job. Ask applicants to tell more about themselves if you need a better sense of them. But leave the silly questions off. No one needs to contemplate what fruit they are.

Agree that this has been done for decades. I remember back in the stone ages my H being asked “how many cabs are in NYC?”

Rayleigh scattering!
I would have nailed that one. Thanks physics class.

“You’re shrunken down to the size of nickels and dropped into the bottom of a blender. What do you do?” :sunglasses:

I would answer that the sky is blue because every jet in the entire world went as high and they could and dropped bucket of blue paint out.

Ask them to add some water to the blender as my skin was too dry.

Seriously?

Sue22, I remember that question!

What’s the answer to the bat and ball cost question? I want to know if I am right!

1.05 and 0.05 @thumper1 I bet you are right ?

.05 for a ball plus 1.05 for a bat =$1.10

Can I share my 9 yr old got it? I asked the question and my 14 yod fell right into the trap and said the ball costs $0.10. I said, really, what is a dollar minus a dime? She hit her head going duh. Then I asked what happens if you just remove the dollar and deal with the remainder. My 9 yod jumped up and shouted you give each a nickel. The ball is 5 cents. :slight_smile:

Years ago when I was interviewing for legal jobs for after my judicial clerkship, I had a number of interviews at law firms. They were all interesting conversations as we each determined if I was a good fit for the firm and its culture.

Then I had an interview with my state’s attorney general’s office. It was clear the interviewer was asking (boring) questions off an approved list from HR. When he asked me “If we called your friends and asked them to describe you, what would they say?” I was completely turned off. I deadpanned “I have no idea. Let’s call some and find out.” I was surprised when I was invited for a follow-up interview (which I declined).

Yep…I got it…but I did have to think about it…because my first thought was $1.00 and $0.10. But I knew that wasn’t right!

I think I learned why the sky is blue in lower school. And my answer would have been as simple.

As far as the bat and ball go, my first reaction was , too cheap, not realistic.

A classic consulting interview question I was asked (a long time ago): how much would you quote me (in dollars) to truck the stone blocks from Aswan to Giza to build a replica of the Great Pyramid?

Requires trigonometry, geography, physics (density of stone), general knowledge (about the price of gas, the carrying capacity of a truck and the size of the pyramids) and math skills (to do the calculations in your head). Or you can put them on a barge like the Egyptians :wink:

I’m curious how you all solved the bat and ball question. I myself created two equations: x (bat) + y (ball) = $1.10, and x (bat) - y (ball) = $0.05. I added the equations together and got 2x = $2.10, so x = $1.05.

I love algebra.

I think i unconsciously did it the 9 year old’s way!

Yeah, I don’t think you need algebra for that question. I just did it in my head.