You can spend hours getting ready for that coveted job interview, making sure you have the answers to the most common questions they throw at you – and just as importantly some killer questions to ask at the end.
But no matter how prepared you feel, there’s always a chance they’re going to throw you a curve ball. A major, what-the-f*ck-are-you-talking-about curve ball.
Well, Glassdoor released the top 10 Oddball Interview Questions for Canada 2016, and let’s just say that things can get pretty weird out there.
While potential employers may just be seeing how we respond when we’re put on the spot, an awkward question can really throw the most prepared candidates off their game.
Here are the 10 strongest oddball interview questions asked in the country. Oh, and our suggestions should you ever be faced with them.
[ad_bb1]
1. “What was the last thing you googled?”
Asked at: Tim Horton’s
Possible answer: Definitely not, “What are they going to ask me at my Tim Horton’s interview?” No m’am. You could tell them you googled the company so you could find out about their corporate policies. Or to give off a retro vibe, inform them you’re actually more of an Ask Jeeves kind of guy.
Francois Lenoir/Reuters
2. “Which Game of Thrones Character do you like most?”
Asked at: Bench Accounting
Possible answer: One can only assume that the accounting company was simply trying to show how down with the kids they are. So go ahead and answer it genuinely. Don’t watch GOT? The default answer is Jon Snow…or just start looking for another job now.
Image: Playbuzz
3. “If you could sit next to one person on a transcontinental flight, who would it be?”
Asked at: Salesforce
Possible answer: Preferably someone who didn’t feature on Passenger Shaming. You could list some personal heroes you’d like to meet who fit the company ethos – or get practical and suggest the criteria you look for in a plane pal, i.e. narrow, short arms, non-snorer.
4. “How do you calculate the number of red cars in a city?”
Asked at: Manulife
Possible answer: This one doesn’t require you to hazard a wild guess. Instead they’re asking you how you would go about finding out so they can test your common sense and practical skills of deduction. Try thinking how you could use ratio to figure it out – or even more pragmatically, who you’d pick up the phone to call for an exact figure.
5. “If you were a utensil, which one would you be and why?”
Asked at: Jack Astor’s
Possible answer: It may sound like a cheesy pick up line, but you should approach it the same way you do all other interview questions – use it as a chance to show the interviewer how you’re a good fit. Choosing a knife because you have a sharp intellect would be a good option. Picking a spoon because you like to stir up gossip at the office, less so.
6. “If you had only 24 hours left on planet Earth, how would you spend it?”
Asked at: Iridia Medical
Possible answer: Now is really not the time to kiss ass by telling prospective employers you’d be sure to have all your work completed and deadlines met before you shuffled off this mortal coil. Assume they want to get to know you by answering honestly, but not too truthfully – making sweet love to your long time crush for the last time might be a bit of an overshare.
7. “Do you ever feel like a plastic bag?”
Asked at: Canada’s Wonderland
Possible answer: Belt out Katy Perry’s Firework, nailing all the lyrics and hitting those highs. Alternatively reference that scene in American Beauty where the creepy teenager shows his camera footage of a floating plastic bag and make it plain for all to see that you’re far too old to be working at 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!”
Asked at: Sunwing
This question, asked at a flight attendant interview, isn’t too out there when you consider they spend a lot of their working lives trapped in a small metal space moving above ground with strangers. But no pressing the emergency help button while you think of an answer – this one is designed to test you on your feet.
9. “If you were a Prime Minister for a day, what one law would you change and why?”
Asked at: Davies Ward Phillips & Vineberg
Even if, like Mr Trudeau, you really, really want Canada to make marijuana legal soon, it would be wise to steer clear of this answer. This was asked at a Student-at-Law interview: but giving a meaningful, informed opinion about your country could really be applicable in any job interview worth its salt.
Photo: CTV News
10. “How would you shuffle a deck of cards?”
Asked at: StackAdapt
Whether this is a question that will touch on probability, or just an assessment of how well you’d fit into a corporate game of poker, it seems fairly straightforward. Assuming it’s hypothetical, you could tell them you normally start with the Las Vegas style triple shuffling method (and then hope this is never brought up again if you do get the job).
[ad_bb2]