Tricky, unusual and non-standard questions have recently become often used by employers in interviews with applicants. A lot depends on how a person answers them, and most importantly, whether he will be hired or not. With the help of such psychological tricks, employers test the skills of the applicant, his readiness for non-standard and stressful situations at work.
The article will discuss non-standard interview questions that employers most often ask, and approximate answers to them.
What are the most frequently asked questions?
The purpose of any interview is to make sure that the applicant is educated, ready to perform the assigned tasks, stress-resistant, non-conflict.
In our time, an important quality that a person applying for a position should have is socialization, that is, the ability to communicate, get along with colleagues, and correspond to a certain social status.
Asking questions already inresume, the employer checks the veracity of the applicant.
In general, the topic of questions primarily depends on factors such as:
- The position the person is applying for.
- Needs for additional skills.
- Personal desires of the employer.
- Payment type.
- Fields of activity of the company.
If the company is engaged in sales, then the goal of the personnel officer is to immediately identify applicants who can captivate buyers and sell them goods. If the ability to organize and conduct public presentations is important for work, then the employer looks at how a person holds himself in front of an audience, how he knows how to present himself, how his voice is set and whether he knows how to captivate the attention of the public.
Mandatory are questions that relate to work experience. If a person is interviewed for a promotion, they find out how ready he is for new responsibilities, what advantages he has over other colleagues. The interview can last more than one hour, non-standard questions can be asked during communication.
Typical questions
As a rule, the interview begins with an offer 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 dwell on what is better at work and what is worse. The employer may ask who the person is guided by in professional activities, who is for himauthority.
It is quite expected if asked to voice their strong and weak professional qualities. Answers need to be thought out in advance so that there is no uncomfortable pause.
Often at the interview they ask about hobbies - such non-standard questions help to find out how diligent, purposeful, patient a person is. In addition, all successful people have a little similar favorite activities. As a rule, these are active sports or intellectual games.
Questions about previous job, salary
In addition to the typical and expected questions when applying for a job, they can ask tricky ones, the answer to which will depend on the decision on the appointment. Often asked about the reasons for dismissal from the previous place. You should answer honestly. The employer can always verify the information by calling the former boss. If the dismissal was of one's own free will, the reasons can be the lack of career growth and dissatisfaction with the salary. If there was a conflict with colleagues, it is better to avoid answering diplomatically and not to name the true reason for leaving. You can say that the work schedule did not suit you or that the office is too far from home.
If asked a non-standard question about expected salary, you should give an amount that is slightly higher than the previous salary (about 15-20%) or the average salary in the labor market in this field of activity.
Question about life principles
Many large companies taking employeeto 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 figure out career plans.
How best to answer the question: "Where do you see yourself in ten years?". You need to 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 show that you are focused on career growth and good earnings.
At the end of the interview, you might be asked, "Why should we hire you?" You can’t praise yourself too much or answer the banal: “Because I’m the best.” You should voice what benefit you could bring to the company and the team. For example, "I know how to increase the company's sales" or "I have an idea how to advertise the company's product." The answer should be clear and concise, but it should be memorable for the employer.
How and what is assessed in an interview?
Employer or staff member evaluates answers according to two principles:
- Suitable person or not.
- Professional or not.
You should only talk about what will help you get the coveted position. If the company is looking for a sales specialist, you should tell how the performance at the previous place of work has improved, what ideas you have for additional customer acquisition.
You should focus the attention of the employer on the fact that you are a competent and competent worker, what exactly you are suitable forthis post.
Tricky and unusual questions
Often, when applying for a job in large companies, the most non-standard questions are asked at the interview.
You might be asked what is your ideal job. The goal is to find out how sensitive a person is to control by management. Correctly answer that it would be ideal if in a year it would be possible to fulfill oneself, bring ideas to life, lead the department and receive decent wages. You can simply answer that the tyranny of the authorities is unacceptable. The first option characterizes a person as purposeful, ready to work and move up the career ladder, the second - as a hard worker who is ready to work, but will not put up with abuse of authority in the workplace.
If asked: "What kind of superhero would you like to be?". The purpose of the question is to find out whether a leader is human by nature or not. In addition, the answer to this question shows the employer how erudite a person is, well-read, how quickly he orients himself in non-standard situations and whether he knows how to get out of them.
One of the non-standard questions to a guy: "What are you proud of?". I should name a few successes in the professional field, but do not talk about children and several cars in the garage.
A frequently asked non-standard question to a girl: "Why is the hatch round?". The goal is to test the logic. The best answer is that it is round because it is easier to roll and mount.
Asking unusual questions, chiefevaluates:
- Ready for unusual situations.
- Reaction speed.
- Calm.
- Sense of humor.
It is important to demonstrate non-standard thinking, the ability to operate with facts, erudition. You should not say memorized phrases, evade 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 definitely find out what your communication skills with people and the ability to sell 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 item.
- Convince the manager that the pen is exactly what he was looking for.
- Tell about promotions and discounts for the buyer.
- Describe what benefits he will get if he buys this particular pen.
Please note that the buyer will argue and object. You should consider the arguments in your favor.
Instead of a conclusion
At the interview, they ask different questions: from a request to describe their strengths to an offer to sell a pen. Many questions are tricky, non-standard, witha catch, so it’s better to prepare for the interview in advance. The main rule is self-confidence, optimism, goodwill. You should demonstrate your best professional qualities: stress resistance, the ability to speak and respond quickly in difficult situations.
