Memerable job interview questions

[Huskinhano]

I think the one that stands out for me is when I applied to be an electrician at Hertz Rent A Car world headquarters. I have a NJ state electrical contractors license and I was applying as an electrician to work as an electrician for Hertz. I was getting out of my own business at the time. Now, anybody here on BS who is either currently or was self employed had a whole new outlook and respect in working for some one. I know I do. So with that work ethic, as long as my employer is paying, I'll do what ever they want so long as it's legal or not being taken grossly taken advantage of. So, the day of the interview, I was asked if I would chase geese. They said they would make a discussion in two weeks. Two days later I was offered the job at a dollar an hour more then I asked for and they wanted to know if I was still interested in the job. Later I found out there were seventy five people interviewed. I worked for them eighteen years. So what's yours? And yes, yes!

[OHC 6 Sprint]

I was interviewing for a management job (in engineering) and I was asked if I could start last Friday because they needed me to fire someone by the end of the day today. I told them that if I had already invented the time machine, I sure as shit wouldn't need to work for them. I got an offer that I turned down with a counter-offer that was double what their offer was. They told me they would think about it. I guess they are still thinking, because I haven't heard from them yet. It was only 10 years ago, so it might come through any time.

[TheSilverBuick]

We ask all sorts of "Make the moment akward" questions just to see how the person responds. A good canidate will get nervous and feel akward, a crap canidate will have a quick answer, and a so-so canidate will give a black and white answer in the direction a buisness would want to hear, extenuating circumstances be damned.

Ones like, you caught a co-worker sleeping on the job. Now for the second time? What about a supervisor that is in another department? Most interviews I give aren't to technical people though, mostly simple labor. I just need you to pass a drug test, show up on time, reliably, take directions and do the task given to you at a leniently acceptable rate.

It AMAZES me how honestly folks give terrible answers to some questions. "How many times a month (or year, etc) do you think it's acceptable to take off work without calling in?" People will literally say one or two times a month!! And nine times out of ten we'll re-iterate the question, making sure that they understood the question was a no-call, no-show, not approved time off, and they will stand by their answer! I've seen it so many times it floors me and now understand why so many people can't hold a job.

My personal two favorites that were asked of me were during my Autozone job interview. First one was, "Name every part you can in a standard gas engine? Start from the bottom and go up is easiest." Five or so minutes later when I was done the AZ manager couldn't think of a single part I skipped, as I covered a dozen 'either/or' scenerios like timing belt verus chains, EFI versus carb, etc. He followed it up with, "Okay, no one ever gets this one. I tell people that when they purchase a bottle of brake fluid, to use all of it they can when they open it up, and after a week throw the rest out. Do you know why?" With out missing a beat I said, "Because it emlusifies, absorbs water." He was floored, haha. My Dad told me that a few years earlier. I got the higher pay and full time status I insisted upon for me to accept the job

[TheSilverBuick]

My old boss, now a co-worker as I've moved up, likes to ask canidates, "How many lines are on a record?"





Two! One on each side!

[38P]

When interviewing for a job at Monnig's Department Store, Joe Lisowski asked me "Can you debate money out of people?" What?

Years later, in another job interview, some weird question prompted me to give a rambling discourse about Atticus Finch . . . .



(English/film majors will recognize ol' Atticus as the protagonist in Harper Lee's To Kill a Mockingbird )

Let me give 'ya a tip . . . "Atticus Finch" isn't the hot ticket to getting hired . . . .

[STINEY]

My first off-farm job back when I was 15 was in customer service at a local grocery store. (I worked for several local farmers for several years before that, got rather good with a shovel too)

The store manager in the interview asked me what my long term goals are. I looked him in the eye, smiled, and told him I wanted his job. (what a cocky brat, eh?)

Two weeks later, he pulled me to the side and asked if I knew why he hired me? I replied that I figured he was planning on retiring and needed a protege. He laughed, and said no, it was because I looked him in the eye and smiled.

Apparently lots of applicants have trouble with that one?


I interviewed with our local Timken (yes, the bearing people) for a machinist apprenticeship. The panel interview asked what I wanted from a job. I replied that I wanted a job that would enable the American Dream, little pink house, white picket fence, 2.5 kids and a dog.

Got that job too. 400 applicants.


My current job I was asked 1 question. (I came with local referrals so the interview was extremely informal) The question was, "When is a sale, a sale?" Answer, "It depends".

After that they just wanted to put my fiance in a 500STX Quad-Trac and let her drive it up and down the driveway.

That was 12 years ago......yesterday we experimented with Tannerite on a damaged silo. Guess I answered right?

[Barry Donovan]

I have never been asked much..
then got secret security clearance.

that is my gothic scary life apparently, long before me, and thousands of years after..
still chasing...hardly getting chased.

About the most nervous I have been is signing on at the local air mafia.. I mean guard base. Public tours can't save the idiot. I know what it is to have a drunk "war hero" for a boss.

I am a real mechanic, self taught engineering. I speak.. its reeling in the future.

Meant to be independent.
I am almost ready to get going again...if a v8 shows up in a rig, or cars do away with sideways engines.

might not be my lifetime.

[RustyRodder]

Ive only had to interview for a couple jobs...

Back when I was RA interviewing, they asked me a couple off the wall ones. One that I remember is "What do you do when you find a resident in the hallway without clothing". Funny at the time, except the next year I ended up right in that situation!

[Matt Cramer]

We ask all sorts of "Make the moment akward" questions just to see how the person responds. A good canidate will get nervous and feel akward, a crap canidate will have a quick answer, and a so-so canidate will give a black and white answer in the direction a buisness would want to hear, extenuating circumstances be damned.

I wonder if that was why, before I landed my current job, I interviewed for a job in Mitsubishi's industrial laser division and the manager asked, "How about we hold the interview at my favorite strip club?" I don't believe he was joking, either. Now I know where Mitsubishi put all their Diamond Star managers who got busted for sexual harassment.

Turned that one down. Not only was the boss a creep, but I didn't think I could last a month at that place without getting fired for swapping out the Successories posters that were on every freaking wall with something from Despair.com.

[SSChevyManiac]

When I was at the second interview for my current job at the corporate office of a regional grocery chain, I answered a question and made a comment about cars. The VP of my current department asked what I would buy if money weren't an object. I told him a C6 ZO6 for the KISS approach. He apparently liked that enough to hire me.

[Bamfster]

The last question I ask every candidate is : do you believe in extraterrestrial life and why or why not?..... don't care about if they do or not, just looking for the reaction and thought process they use to get to their answer.

[NewEnglandRaceFan]

My old boss, now a co-worker as I've moved up, likes to ask canidates, "How many lines are on a record?"





Two! One on each side!

incorrect.. there is one groove per side, and 2 lines

[NewEnglandRaceFan]

I don't remember much of my interview.. As I was 18 at the time and really wasn't thinking it be a long term job.. They asked "why I wanted the job" I said I have a need for speed, and speed cost money, how fast do you(I) want to go" once they figured out it wasn't about the drug "speed" I got the job.. for 1.75 an hour more than they were hiring people for, that was 8/8/88 the day I picked up my first newish car '85 t/a from Regal autosales Randolph ,ma. almost into Holbrook and needed money to pay the insurance bill that was huge 1878 bucks a year.. now working on year 25 with 4 more months till 26th year.. I never thought I'd still be working at this company, the jobs with in have changed.. but if someone told me I'd still be working here 26 years later in '88 I think I'd have laughed at them.. Only down side will be if I ever need to interview for a job.. I'll have no friggin clue.. and be ball of nerves..

[Beagle]

incorrect.. there is one groove per side, and 2 lines

Incorrect - the groove is not a line. It is circular. There are infinite points on a circle. Unless the radius of the circle is infinite, it cannot be a line. There are also records that only had a recording on one side.

For what it's worth, it's probably not a good idea to correct the spelling of your interviewer, but the spelling on the title should be memorable.

[NewEnglandRaceFan]

Incorrect - the groove is not a line. It is circular. There are infinite points on a circle. Unless the radius of the circle is infinite, it cannot be a line. There are also records that only had a recording on one side.

For what it's worth, it's probably not a good idea to correct the spelling of your interviewer, but the spelling on the title should be memorable.

sorry disagree,, lines have a start and a end.. a circular, have neither..