Tricky, unusual and non-standard questions have recently been often used by employers in interviews with applicants. A lot depends on how a person answers them, and most importantly - will he be accepted for the position or not. With the help of such psychological tricks, employers test the applicant’s skills, his readiness for unusual and stressful situations at work.
The article will discuss non-standard interview questions that are most often asked by employers, and approximate answers to them.
What questions are most often asked?
The purpose of any interview is to make sure that the applicant is educated, ready to fulfill the tasks, stress-resistant, non-conflict.
Nowadays, an important quality that a person applying for a position should have is socialization, that is, the ability to communicate, get along with colleagues, correspond to a certain social status.
By asking questions that are already on the resume, the employer checks the veracity of the applicant.
In general, the topic of questions, first of all, depends on such factors as:
- The position claimed by the person.
- The need for additional skills.
- Personal desires of the employer.
- Type of payment.
- The scope of the company.
If the company is engaged in sales, the goal of the personnel officer is to immediately identify applicants who can captivate buyers and sell them the goods. If the ability to organize and conduct public presentations is important for work, the employer looks at how a person holds in front of an audience, how he knows how to present himself, how his voice is delivered and how he can captivate the attention of the public.
Required are questions that relate to work experience. If a person is being interviewed for promotion, they will find out how much he is ready for new duties, what are his advantages over other colleagues. Interviews can last more than one hour, and non-standard questions can be asked during communication.
Typical questions
As a rule, the interview begins with a proposal to talk about education, plans and goals in life. It is important to communicate your life principles and priorities. It is quite acceptable to talk about academic success, about the reasons for choosing such a profession.
Then you should focus on what works better and what is worse. The employer may ask who the person is oriented in in their professional activities, who is their authority.
It is expected that if asked to voice their strong and weak professional qualities. The answers must be thought out in advance so that there is no uncomfortable pause.
Often during an interview they ask about a hobby - such non-standard questions help to find out how hard-working, purposeful, patient a person is. In addition, for all successful people, their favorite activities are a bit similar. As a rule, these are active sports or intellectual games.
Questions about previous work, salary
In addition to the typical and expected questions when hiring, they can ask tricky ones, from which the decision on the appointment will depend on the answer. Often asked about the reasons for dismissal from the same place. Answer should be honest. The employer will always be able to verify the information by calling the former boss. If the dismissal was of their own free will, the absence of career growth and dissatisfaction with salaries could be mentioned as the reasons. If there was a conflict with colleagues, it is better to diplomatically evade the answer and not give the true reason for leaving. We can say that he was not satisfied with the work schedule or that the office was very far from home.
If you ask a non-standard question about the expected salary, you should name the amount that is slightly higher than the previous salary (about 15-20%) or the average salary in the labor market in this area of activity.
Question of life principles
Many large companies, taking an employee to work, expect that he will work in it for many years. That is why the applicant is asked how he sees his life after five to ten years. The goal is to find out career plans.
What is the best answer to the question: “Who do you see yourself in ten years?”. We must confidently and truthfully say that you see yourself working in a large reputable company in a leadership position, earning a certain amount per year. The clearer and more specific the answer to this non-standard question, the better. It should be shown that you are aimed at career growth and good earnings.
At the end of the interview, they may ask: “Why should we hire you?” You can’t greatly praise yourself or answer trivial: "Because I am the best." It should be announced what benefits you could bring to the company and the team. For example, "I know how to increase sales of the company" or "I have an idea how to advertise the goods of the company." The answer should be clear and concise, but it should be remembered by the employer.
How and what is evaluated in the interview?
The employer or staff member evaluates the answers according to two principles:
- Suitable person or not.
- Professional or not.
It should only be said that will help to obtain the coveted position. If the company is looking for a sales specialist, you should tell how the performance indicators at the previous place of work improved, what ideas there are for additional customer acquisition.
The employer should focus on the fact that you are a competent and competent employee, what exactly you are suitable for this position.
Tricky and unusual questions
When hiring large companies, they often ask the most non-standard questions at an interview.
You may be asked what is your ideal job. The goal is to find out how sensitive a person is to control on the part of management. It’s correct to answer that it would be ideal if in a year it would be possible to realize oneself, bring ideas to life, head a department and receive decent wages. You can simply answer that the tyranny of superiors is unacceptable. The first option characterizes the person as purposeful, ready to work and move up the career ladder, the second - as a hard worker who is willing to work, but will not put up with exceeding authority in the workplace.
If they ask: "What kind of superhero would you like to become?" The purpose of the question is to find out whether a leader is a person by nature or not. In addition, the answer to this question shows the employer how erudite a person is, how well-read, how quickly he is oriented in non-standard situations and whether he can get out of them.
One of the non-standard questions to the guy: "What are you proud of?" It is worth mentioning several successes in the professional field, but you should not talk about children and several cars in the garage.
Frequently asked non-standard question for the girl: “Why is the hatch round?”. The goal is to test the logic. It’s best to answer that it is round because it is easier to roll and mount.
By asking unusual questions, the leader evaluates:
- Preparedness for unusual situations.
- Speed reaction.
- Calm
- Sense of humor.
It is important to demonstrate non-standard thinking, the ability to operate with facts, erudition. Do not say learned phrases, avoid answers. Tricky questions are needed to identify priorities and the degree of professional competence of a person.
How to sell a pen?
If the company’s activities are related to sales, then at the interview they will surely find out what your communication skills with people and selling skills are. They may be asked to sell a notebook, pen, chair.
For an experienced worker, this game will not shock him; he will gladly demonstrate all his skills. For a person new to this industry, such an experiment can end very badly.
Some tips on how to sell a pen:
- Introduce yourself.
- Describe the goods.
- To convince the leader that the pen is exactly what he was looking for.
- Tell about promotions and discounts for the buyer.
- Describe what advantages he will get if he buys this particular pen.
Please note that the buyer will argue and object. Arguments in one's own favor should be considered.
