For some companies, asking job candidates what they consider to be their strengths and weaknesses simply doesn’t cut it.
Potential employees can sometimes face some odd questions when they go in for a job interview, and recruitment company Glassdoor has compiled a list of the top 10 strangest job interview questions posed to candidates in Canada this year.
Some of these questions included, “How do you calculate the number of red cars in a city?” and “Which Game of Thrones character do you like most?”
“Employers are asking tough interview questions to test a job candidate’s critical thinking skills, see how they problem solve on the spot and gauge how they approach difficult situations,” said Susan Underwood, head of global recruiting and talent acquisition for Glassdoor.
“Employers want to determine how different candidates respond to challenges, and those who respond well may have the edge when it comes to receiving a job offer.”
The top 10 weirdest questions in Canada this year, as found by Glassdoor, were:
1. “What is the last thing you Googled?” – Tim Hortons Leadership Development Program;
2. “Which Game of Thrones character do you like most?” – Bench Accounting;
3. “If you could sit next to one person on a transcontinental flight, who would it be?” – Salesforce;
4. “How do you calculate the number of red cars in a city?” – Manulife;
5. “If you were a utensil, which one would you be and why?” – Jack Astor’s;
6. “If you had only 24 hours left on planet Earth, how would you spend it?” – Iridia;
7. “Do you ever feel like a plastic bag?” – Canada’s Wonderland;
8. “We meet on an elevator, and you have until we reach the 10th floor to convince me that you’re right for the job. Go!” – Sunwing Airlines;
9. “If you were a Prime Minister for a day, what one law would you change and why?” – Davies Ward Phillips & Vineberg; and
10. “How would you shuffle a deck of cards?” – StackAdapt.
Glassdoor also conducted surveys across the U.S., where the strangest question was, “When a hot dog expands, in which direction does it split and why?” (Space Exploration Technologies), and the U.K., where “Which magic power would you like to have?” (Topshop) took the number one spot.
Job candidates asked these strange questions should take heart; Glassdoor said it appears there is a link between a difficult job interview process and higher levels of employee satisfaction later on.
@EmmaHampelBIV
