Tips on how to get the most out of these questions
Try not to overwhelm your candidates by using too many ‘out there’ questions. There’s still a good reason why “standard” questions – such as “why do you want to work for us?”, “tell us about yourself” and “where do you see yourself in 5 years’ time?” – are still used predominantly in interviews. These questions get straight to the point and tell you what you really want to know about your potential future employee. A fine balance needs to be found between off-the-wall questions, and those that candidates will expect to crop up and be equipped to answer.
Try to keep the unexpected questions relevant to the industry you are hiring in, if you can – or at least pick questions that will showcase the personality traits that you want to see in your candidates. Some of the examples provided below may be more applicable to some industries than others; however, if they’re used as a guideline, they will help your business get to the top of its recruitment game.
Also, remember that the candidate’s process of getting to the answer is often more important than the actual answer itself – it might show off powers of deduction, or their way of viewing the world. Your bizarre questions should breakdown the usual barrier between the candidate and interviewer(s) and help to inspire a more honest transaction where the interviewee feels they can open up. This will only save time for both you and the candidate in the long run.
So without any further ado, here’s our great big list of our top, utterly brilliant interview questions!
- If somebody could sell you happiness, would you buy it? Why or why not?
- Do you have a favourite artist?
- Who would star as you in the live-action movie remake of your life?
- If you could name one thing after yourself, what would it be?
- Hang-gliding: yes or no?
- If you were a smartphone app, which one would you be and why?
- How would you describe your style?
- Are you a lucky person? What’s the most unlikely coincidence you’ve ever been a part of?
- Where was your last holiday?
- If you could keep growing taller- from today- would you?
- If you could learn the truth about one mystery, which one would you pick?
- What’s your favourite food? Why?
- What would you erase from the world?
- If you starred in a movie, what’s the most melodramatic way you would choose to die?
- What’s the meaning of life, to you at least?
- Do you like waterslides?
- Are you a good dancer?
- In your free time, what do you work towards?
- What’s important to you?
- If you never had to work again, how would you fill your time?
- What would you do if you were on the Titanic as it was sinking?
- Would you want to be a superhero?
- Is there a time period you wish you could go back to?
- On a similar note: who’s your favourite ‘evil’ historical figure?
- What’s the best time of day?
- Which is better: hard or soft boiled egg?
- Do you make sure the dishes are washed straight away, or are you the lazy kind?
- Who do you most admire that’s alive today?
- Is there anything holding you back in life?
- What’s the rudest thing you know how to say in another language?
- What’s more important: yourself or others?
- If you could master one skill, which would you pick?
- What’s your go-to morning song?
- How honest are you, if you had to be honest? Rate yourself out of 10!
- Would you rather live in the jungle or on top of a mountain?
- If you could, would you live forever?
- Who’s the funniest person alive, in your biased opinion?
- What’s your go-to downtempo song?
- Where would you want to go if you had half an hour free right now?
Final Note
So, there you have it – 39 questions that will get your candidates thinking for themselves, instead of regurgitating answers to questions that they’ve been practising. Feel free to change the questions around as you see fit, as they’re very flexible. Some of the above questions may seem like they’re a little out-there; however, if they help the candidate to loosen up in the interview, or even make them laugh, they’ll have served a valuable purpose. Go forth and conduct the best job interviews ever!