Job interview questions and answers (Part 14): How To Answer Weird Job Interview Questions

In this week's job search tip, we're going to discuss weird job interview questions and how you should answer them. That's coming up!

Hi guys, I'm Kim with Snagajob, your number one source for hourly jobs and welcome to our weekly show where we give you job search advice from resume tips to interview advice, and everything in between.

We asked our Facebook and Twitter fans to tell us the strangest thing they've been asked in a job interview...and we got some weird ones.

"What type of cereal would you best describe yourself as?"
"How would you explain Facebook to your grandma?"
"If you had to make a shoe with anything in this room, how would you make it?"
"How would you explain what a chair is to an alien?".

Now, we're not sharing all these really strange questions with you to make you nervous (though I can understand if they do!). We want to help you prepare yourself in case something like this is thrown at you.

The biggest theme we saw when we asked this was the:

"If you were a .... what would you be, and why?"

They want to see if you can think fast on your feet. Customers will sometimes come up with some off-the-wall questions and the interviewer wants to make sure you can handle what's thrown at you. It's not so much the example you pick, but your confidence in creating a scenario off the top of your head and your reason for picking that particular object.

Here's how I would answer:

"If you were a piece of furniture, what would you be and why?"

"I would be a coffee table. I enjoy interacting with people, and, with my family at least, we usually gather around the coffee table whenever we get together."

Don't worry too much if you don't give the answer you think they wanted to hear. Remember, they are looking to see how you can handle strange situations. Just make sure you sound like you know what you are talking about and they may just agree with you!

[brendajackson]

The funny thing is, I had an answer to all of those "weird" questions yet I don't have answers for the serious questions

[lavettabrown]

I found these tips to be very helpful.

[lkrause]

What about the "Situation type questions", like "Describe a situation where you had to work together to solve something, who helped you and how did you get it done?" Im not sure if Im wording it exactly how they did but this type of question came up with my interview at Target not too long ago and I think because of how I was or wasnt able to answer it, they didnt hire me. I want to know how to handle that if that type of interview question comes up again so I can get hired. I just dont think very well on my feet in an interview but it doesnt mean I cant on the job. 

[randyhollen]

I had an interview and they asked some weird questions like, . Tell me about a time that you did something that someone wanted you to do, and
Tell me about a time that you did something that someone else wanted to do.. It cought me off guard .

[shyannesmith]

scenario questions or customer service questions...

[AlwaysoriginalC]

I know these are old, but do you have an episode on group interviews and/or hiring events?

[mariebadd]

do you have any tips on scenario questions

[MonicaWarren]

How do you put together a resmue when you've only had one job

[neetrab]

"How would you explain a chair to an alien?"

[madelinetorres]

omg I remember having a mock interview and they asked "what animal would you describe yourself as?" and I was like uum idk

[madelinetorres]

I said a cat because its gentle but fierce

[RaiderXD]

Wow I guess I need to study more about plants then.... xP