Interview questions – woman being interviewed
When it comes to unusual interview questions, don’t panic, and don’t say ‘I don’t know’

Could you answer these tough interview questions from tech giants? (Infographic)

22 Feb 2016

Interviews are a nerve-wracking experience at the best of times.

But, in recent times, interview questions have become even more difficult to prepare for, with a trend among employers to ask ‘out-of-the-box’ questions.

‘Why are manholes round?’, ‘If you were a vegetable, which type would you be?’, and ‘You’re shrunk to a tiny size and get stuck in a blender – how do you get out?’ are just some of the questions that have reportedly been asked in interviews over the years.

Of course, may of these questions have no right answer, with prospective employers asking them in order to determine how a candidate reacts under pressure or to assess their ability to think creatively or analytically.

The big tech firms are among the most notorious for asking these unexpected interview questions, which inspired the people at KickResume to compile this infographic, detailing some of the more difficult questions tech giants have put to prospective candidates, with some suggestions on how you might answer them.

But two pieces of advice seem to be key when it comes to these unusual interview questions: don’t panic, and don’t say ‘I don’t know’.

Interview questions: how would you respond?

Interview questions infographic

Woman in interview image via Shutterstock

Brigid O Gorman
By Brigid O Gorman

Brigid O Gorman joined Silicon Republic in April 2015 from a background working in national media in Ireland and Australia, and served as the site’s sub-editor until September 2016. Brigid has worked as a writer, social media manager and sub-editor and, when not agonising about ill-used apostrophes and misplaced commas, she likes to get out in the fresh air for a run, eat nice food, drink good wine and watch bad television.

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