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Good Interview Questions

CousinLarryCousinLarry 4,618 Posts
edited April 2006 in Strut Central
I am interviewing some student interns over the next couple of days. What do you think are the best and worst interview questions you have ever been asked?
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  • ladydayladyday 623 Posts
    I am interviewing some student interns over the next couple of days. What do you think are the best and worst interview questions you have ever been asked?

    Best interview question I've personally been asked: How do you organize your music? My answer was by genre, then alphabetical by artist, then chronological. I got the job. Who know if that had anything to do with it, but I like to think that it did.
  • RockadelicRockadelic Out Digging 13,993 Posts
    "Have you ever thought about becoming an Architect"

    followed immediately by...

    "Are you currently, or have you ever been, a member of the Van Buren Boys"
  • CousinLarryCousinLarry 4,618 Posts
    The one applicant has been getting her executive dad's friends to call our HR person. I was thinking about asking her if she beleives in doing things on her own or with the help of others.
  • CortezTheKillerCortezTheKiller 169 Posts
    "Have you ever been in a Turkish Prison?"

    or

    "Do you like Gladiator movies?"

  • hammertimehammertime 2,389 Posts
    What are your influences?


    How do you feel about sampling?
  • RockadelicRockadelic Out Digging 13,993 Posts
    But seriously.....

    I always ask what they do in their spare time.
    (People's hobbies say alot about them.)

    What is it you like the most about school.
    (I once interviewed a guy who had just received a 4 year degree in Biology and when I asked him what he liked most about Biology he thought about it for about a minute and answered "Nothing")

    and the always popular...

    Why do you think you're the best candidate for the job?
  • ladydayladyday 623 Posts
    The one applicant has been getting her executive dad's friends to call our HR person. I was thinking about asking her if she beleives in doing things on her own or with the help of others.
    do it!
  • bassiebassie 11,710 Posts
    "tell me about yourself"

    hit the wall every time with that one - there's 30+ yrs of things to tell so it would be really helpful if folks could ask a specific question.

    favourite job and why?
    one thing you'd like to achieve in the next 10 yrs?
    if could spend a day with anyone in the world - who and why?
    most valuable lesson learned at last job?
    could have any job in a hospital - which and why?
    what is your best quality in the workforce, what do you bring to the workplace?
  • DORDOR Two Ron Toe 9,899 Posts
    The one applicant has been getting her executive dad's friends to call our HR person. I was thinking about asking her if she beleives in doing things on her own or with the help of others.
    do it!

    Am I odd for not thinking there's a problem with this? Most jobs, from upper management to working in a cafeteria come from in part, who you know...

    It doesn't seem like it got her the job anyways. Just a foot in the door.


    Ask her what her biggest weakness is. Work and non work related.
  • CousinLarryCousinLarry 4,618 Posts
    The one applicant has been getting her executive dad's friends to call our HR person. I was thinking about asking her if she beleives in doing things on her own or with the help of others.
    do it!

    Am I odd for not thinking there's a problem with this? Most jobs, from upper management to working in a cafeteria come from in part, who you know...

    It doesn't seem like it got her the job anyways. Just a foot in the door.


    Ask her what her biggest weakness is. Work and non work related.

    I hate that question. Not because I don't know my weakness or because I don't have any but because that question sucks.
  • hammertimehammertime 2,389 Posts
    Weaknesses/strengths, "tell me about a time you...", those are the worst questions EVER. I like interviews where people just talk to you and casually ask about stuff on my resume, it allows me to be myself more and gives them a more accurate representation of me. Also asking what kind of work environment they do/don't like isn't a bad idea.
  • DORDOR Two Ron Toe 9,899 Posts
    The one applicant has been getting her executive dad's friends to call our HR person. I was thinking about asking her if she beleives in doing things on her own or with the help of others.
    do it!

    Am I odd for not thinking there's a problem with this? Most jobs, from upper management to working in a cafeteria come from in part, who you know...

    It doesn't seem like it got her the job anyways. Just a foot in the door.


    Ask her what her biggest weakness is. Work and non work related.

    I hate that question. Not because I don't know my weakness or because I don't have any but because that question sucks.

    I've always thought it was a good question. I always answer it with the same thing. My size... Saying sometimes it intimidates people on first meeting me. This way it doesn't seem like I have any real work related weaknesses.

    But whatever.. Ask them their fav poptart.
  • CousinLarryCousinLarry 4,618 Posts

    But whatever.. Ask them their fav poptart.

    Yes
  • ladydayladyday 623 Posts
    The one applicant has been getting her executive dad's friends to call our HR person. I was thinking about asking her if she beleives in doing things on her own or with the help of others.
    do it!

    Am I odd for not thinking there's a problem with this? Most jobs, from upper management to working in a cafeteria come from in part, who you know...
    Sure, but to have several people call is overboard and would turn me off as a hiring manager. How well do the dad's friends know the applicant anyway? They are just doing a favor for her pops. It smacks of entitlement, and I run into enough of that from student interns as it is.
  • batmonbatmon 27,574 Posts
    "How many times did the Batmobile catch a flat?"
  • CousinLarryCousinLarry 4,618 Posts
    The one applicant has been getting her executive dad's friends to call our HR person. I was thinking about asking her if she beleives in doing things on her own or with the help of others.
    do it!

    Am I odd for not thinking there's a problem with this? Most jobs, from upper management to working in a cafeteria come from in part, who you know...
    Sure, but to have several people call is overboard and would turn me off as a hiring manager. How well do the dad's friends know the applicant anyway? They are just doing a favor for her pops. It smacks of entitlement, and I run into enough of that from student interns as it is.

    Yeah, I mean she already had them as references on the resume so they didn't really need to call. It was kind of overkill and they mentioned her father by name. But in every other way she seems like a good candidate. That just kind of bothered me.

    I was thinking about asking her if she knew how to do her own laundry. I could always tell a lot about people in collage that didn't know how to use a washing machine.
  • bassiebassie 11,710 Posts


    I hate that question. Not because I don't know my weakness or because I don't have any but because that question sucks.

    perhaps, but you can make lemonade out of lemons with it - "my biggest weakness? well, i'm a perfectionist and i work too hard..."
  • FatbackFatback 6,746 Posts
    "If you were sucking my dick, what kind of tree would you be?"

  • ladydayladyday 623 Posts

    Ask her what her biggest weakness is. Work and non work related.

    I hate that question. Not because I don't know my weakness or because I don't have any but because that question sucks.

    I've always thought it was a good question. I always answer it with the same thing. My size... Saying sometimes it intimidates people on first meeting me. This way it doesn't seem like I have any real work related weaknesses.


    Another tactic you can take is to talk about how something used to be your weakness and how you overcame it. That always works. Unless your weakness was stealing from coworkers or urinating in the potted plants or something.
  • CousinLarryCousinLarry 4,618 Posts
    "If you were sucking my dick, what kind of tree would you be?"


    I was thinking about asking her if she hit her dog.
  • FatbackFatback 6,746 Posts
    The one applicant has been getting her executive dad's friends to call our HR person. I was thinking about asking her if she beleives in doing things on her own or with the help of others.
    do it!

    Am I odd for not thinking there's a problem with this? Most jobs, from upper management to working in a cafeteria come from in part, who you know...
    Sure, but to have several people call is overboard and would turn me off as a hiring manager. How well do the dad's friends know the applicant anyway? They are just doing a favor for her pops. It smacks of entitlement, and I run into enough of that from student interns as it is.

    Yeah, I mean she already had them as references on the resume so they didn't really need to call. It was kind of overkill and they mentioned her father by name. But in every other way she seems like a good candidate. That just kind of bothered me.

    I was thinking about asking her if she knew how to do her own laundry. I could always tell a lot about people in collage that didn't know how to use a washing machine.

    Nepotism is as American as apple pie. And in Richmond it's 100 times worse. I say go ahead and take her as an intern and then just ignore her.
  • ladydayladyday 623 Posts
    The one applicant has been getting her executive dad's friends to call our HR person. I was thinking about asking her if she beleives in doing things on her own or with the help of others.
    do it!

    Am I odd for not thinking there's a problem with this? Most jobs, from upper management to working in a cafeteria come from in part, who you know...
    Sure, but to have several people call is overboard and would turn me off as a hiring manager. How well do the dad's friends know the applicant anyway? They are just doing a favor for her pops. It smacks of entitlement, and I run into enough of that from student interns as it is.

    Yeah, I mean she already had them as references on the resume so they didn't really need to call. It was kind of overkill and they mentioned her father by name. But in every other way she seems like a good candidate. That just kind of bothered me.

    I was thinking about asking her if she knew how to do her own laundry. I could always tell a lot about people in collage that didn't know how to use a washing machine.

    Nepotism is as American as apple pie. And in Richmond it's 100 times worse. I say go ahead and take her as an intern and then just ignore her.

    No way, take her as an intern and then show her what real grunt work is.
  • FatbackFatback 6,746 Posts

    I was thinking about asking her if she hit her dog.

    Just take the ones that you would hit.


  • nzshadownzshadow 5,518 Posts
    I have only ever interviewed potential flatmates, the killer question is "are you crazy?"

    crazy people always say NO.
  • FatbackFatback 6,746 Posts
    i need you to post that alba swimming thing.
  • DORDOR Two Ron Toe 9,899 Posts
    The one applicant has been getting her executive dad's friends to call our HR person. I was thinking about asking her if she beleives in doing things on her own or with the help of others.
    do it!

    Am I odd for not thinking there's a problem with this? Most jobs, from upper management to working in a cafeteria come from in part, who you know...
    Sure, but to have several people call is overboard and would turn me off as a hiring manager. How well do the dad's friends know the applicant anyway? They are just doing a favor for her pops. It smacks of entitlement, and I run into enough of that from student interns as it is.

    Yeah, I mean she already had them as references on the resume so they didn't really need to call. It was kind of overkill and they mentioned her father by name. But in every other way she seems like a good candidate. That just kind of bothered me.

    I was thinking about asking her if she knew how to do her own laundry. I could always tell a lot about people in collage that didn't know how to use a washing machine.

    Nepotism is as American as apple pie. And in Richmond it's 100 times worse. I say go ahead and take her as an intern and then just ignore her.

    I'm just saying if it gets ur foot in the door, I think it should be used. Pushing with a bunch of people calling is a bit of a turn off (One person calling should be enough). It's not just in America, it's eveywhere. Always has been, always will be. If I ever have kids and can make a call for them, I will. You don't pay the big money to send ur kids to get an education really. You sent them to walk out with a piece of paper and hopefully they networked and made as many contacts as possible. They should teach that in school...

    Like I said, it doesn't matter for what. You could be cleaning floors in a cafeteria. Chances are, you got the job from someone you know or a friend of a friend.


    Maybe the question you need to be asking her is if she can get you tickets to any good games or concerts!
  • nzshadownzshadow 5,518 Posts


  • FatbackFatback 6,746 Posts
    cures headaches
  • nzshadownzshadow 5,518 Posts
    cures headaches

    cures anything my man, in fact i have it on good authority that albabum is Mohamed ElBaradei's secret weapon of mass distraction.

  • theory9theory9 1,128 Posts
    cures headaches

    cures anything my man, in fact i have it on good authority that albabum is Mohamed ElBaradei's secret weapon of mass[/b] distraction.

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