Rules and Guidelines
Want to participate in the discussions? Please read our Community Rules and Guidelines. Need some help? Visit Support and Answers.

  • State Not Answered
  • Locked Locked
  • Replies 43 replies
  • Subscribers 17 subscribers
  • Views 4963 views
  • Users 0 members are here
Options
You may also be interested in
This discussion has been locked.
You can no longer post new replies to this discussion. If you have a question you can start a new discussion

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.
Parents
  • 0
    I know what I would like to reply: "so that I don't have to work for someone who asks questions like that just to show how clever they are!" But I absolutely wouldn't (partly because with any luck you would end up reporting to someone else, and partly because it's always completely unhelpful to respond to smugness with smugness). To be fair, the aim could be to see how you cope under pressure, given that you probably wouldn't have prepared for this question, but it's not a very realistic sort of pressure.


    Some people would say "don't hire me if you want your business to fail". Sounds clever, actually it's a silly answer as there will be other potential employees who could also make the business succeed. Sadly some recruiters - maybe the sort that would ask this question - like answers like these. They say it show spirit and drive - and forget the fact it also shows a complete absence of self-awareness!


    Personally I would try and somehow turn this around to a positive: "let's start by looking at the reasons I think it would be good for your business to hire me..." With any luck, if you can make the list long enough you can get far enough away from the question that they won't mind that you haven't answered it.


    It's a good rule for interviews, whatever the question try to carry it on a positive note - important for questions such as the much more common "what's been your biggest mistake?"


    Cheers,


    Andy

Reply
  • 0
    I know what I would like to reply: "so that I don't have to work for someone who asks questions like that just to show how clever they are!" But I absolutely wouldn't (partly because with any luck you would end up reporting to someone else, and partly because it's always completely unhelpful to respond to smugness with smugness). To be fair, the aim could be to see how you cope under pressure, given that you probably wouldn't have prepared for this question, but it's not a very realistic sort of pressure.


    Some people would say "don't hire me if you want your business to fail". Sounds clever, actually it's a silly answer as there will be other potential employees who could also make the business succeed. Sadly some recruiters - maybe the sort that would ask this question - like answers like these. They say it show spirit and drive - and forget the fact it also shows a complete absence of self-awareness!


    Personally I would try and somehow turn this around to a positive: "let's start by looking at the reasons I think it would be good for your business to hire me..." With any luck, if you can make the list long enough you can get far enough away from the question that they won't mind that you haven't answered it.


    It's a good rule for interviews, whatever the question try to carry it on a positive note - important for questions such as the much more common "what's been your biggest mistake?"


    Cheers,


    Andy

Children
No Data

Community Rules & Guidelines