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Impossible Interviews

James Shaw
Have you ever been faced with an interview question that seemed impossible to answer?


Mine was delivered on the premises of a 'world class' engineering company. "How would you ensure that a project is completed on time?"


My mind raced from the general to the particular - If I knew the answer to that I would be a billionaire! - Strikes, bad weather, supplier failure, poor specifications etc. Probably no words came out as the interviewer started to drop hints, "It begins with a 'P', it ends in 'N', it has four letters." "Plan?" I say. "Exactly!" says he. 'Idiot' thinks I.


In retrospect perhaps it was a test to see if I was suitable to develop for senior management - the 'big picture' people. "We will deliver better value, we will be smarter!" But how? Engineers, small-minded, always bothered about the details!


Needless to say, I didn't get that job. Perhaps just as well.
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    Andy,

    My interview was quite some time ago and quite likely was for some sort of project management post. I think it was the potential breadth of the answer that threw me. Of course we would all start with a plan of some sort but we all know that it is most unlikely to proceed without some upsets on the way. Effectively I had moved on from the, to me trivial, first part of the question and was working on the follow up, "How do you keep to plan?" (Think unknown unknowns too).


    I doubt if there is ever a guaranteed right answer to any interview question, or style for that matter. At my first interview for a 'proper' job the senior personnel manager leaped up from his desk when I said that one should use a calculator if accuracy in arithmetic was important. I honestly thought he would hit me, then he thumped the desk and exclaimed, "I couldn't agree more!" (I got that job!). Many years later someone told me that a carefully considered answer was always appreciated, just before I went for an internally advertised post. I thought I had seen the interviewer before but couldn't quite place him. Following the advice I had been given I slowly and carefully answered his questions. After the interview I remembered that he was a manager who was noted for briefly appearing in the central administrative office and asking, "What's new?", barely waiting for an answer before shooting off. Careful and considered wasn't his style so no surprise that that transfer didn't take place.
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    Andy,

    My interview was quite some time ago and quite likely was for some sort of project management post. I think it was the potential breadth of the answer that threw me. Of course we would all start with a plan of some sort but we all know that it is most unlikely to proceed without some upsets on the way. Effectively I had moved on from the, to me trivial, first part of the question and was working on the follow up, "How do you keep to plan?" (Think unknown unknowns too).


    I doubt if there is ever a guaranteed right answer to any interview question, or style for that matter. At my first interview for a 'proper' job the senior personnel manager leaped up from his desk when I said that one should use a calculator if accuracy in arithmetic was important. I honestly thought he would hit me, then he thumped the desk and exclaimed, "I couldn't agree more!" (I got that job!). Many years later someone told me that a carefully considered answer was always appreciated, just before I went for an internally advertised post. I thought I had seen the interviewer before but couldn't quite place him. Following the advice I had been given I slowly and carefully answered his questions. After the interview I remembered that he was a manager who was noted for briefly appearing in the central administrative office and asking, "What's new?", barely waiting for an answer before shooting off. Careful and considered wasn't his style so no surprise that that transfer didn't take place.
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