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Ridiculous interview questions
11

Ridiculous interview questions

Ridiculous interview questions

(OP)
What is the most ridiculous question you’ve been asked at an interview?  What was your answer?

Here’s mine.  I interviewed at a major auto parts paint plant and after the interviewer seemed to be satisfied that I qualified for the job, he asked me what motivated me most to get up in the morning and go to work.  I enjoy my work, but who doesn’t have some bad days.

The answer I gave was that I had a mortgage to pay and a family to feed…..a pay cheque!
He looked dumfounded for a moment then asked was that all.  I said no, I also get the satisfaction of knowing I’ve earned it.

He said he appreciated my candid answer, hired me and then told me I wouldn’t believe some of the answers he got to that question.

After I got to know him, I realized that had I said something like “for the greater good of the ACME Widget Co. the next candidate would have been brought in.  A trick question? Maybe, but an honest answer benefited me that time.

Haggis

RE: Ridiculous interview questions

When I was stumping for my first engineering job after college, I had a phone interview with a manufacturer of oil circulation pumps.  The interviewing manager had a faxed copy of my resume, and I was at an employment agency's office.  The interviewing manager says, "I see you used to be a machinist.  Any idiot can run a machine.  What else can you do?"

I ended that interview as quickly as possible, and told the agency I wouldn't work for that man until I was so starved that my navel was sticking to my spine.

But wait, there's more...

After telling the agency I was absolutely not interested, they set up an interview anyways!  They pushed pretty hard, so I let them think I was going until an hour before the interview when I called to cancel.

RE: Ridiculous interview questions

I was asked "Why are manhole covers round?"



RE: Ridiculous interview questions

wow, where were you interviewing?  At a place that gets interview questions from this site?
see Thread404-118635  ("why are manhole covers round?")

I'm not sure that I've been asked any really stupid questions - usually the ones that seem stupid were really intended to check critical reasoning skills or similar.  I was once asked "how would you explain the size of a micron to a three-year-old?"



RE: Ridiculous interview questions

I was actually asked that exact question IN an interview.

Unfortunately my wit wasn't quick enough to say "the one you just asked", but I definitely have the answer if I ever get it again.

RE: Ridiculous interview questions

"What year did you graduate high school?"

Oops. That was before the interview. Weeding out question. Over 40, don't apply.

RE: Ridiculous interview questions

On second thought, one guy wrote an equation on the blackboard and told me to find the Eigen values. Eigen who? I guess they did me a favor by not offering the job.

RE: Ridiculous interview questions

"If I give you a piping-hot cup of coffee and a chilled container of cream, and you want the mixture to be as hot as possible 15 minutes from now when you will have a chance to take your first sip, should you mix them now or later, just before you sip?"

Note that this was in an interview for a postion as a Facilities Engineer (Electrical) at a university.

I answered that I could give him a verifiable answer in 15 minutes if he'd loan me a thermometer and a second cup.  

I didn't get the job, and neither did I learn the answer to the question.  I haven't ever taken the time to do a heat-transfer-over-time analysis.  It just didn't bother me that much....

Old Dave

RE: Ridiculous interview questions

I was asked, "So tell me about MadMango (real name)?"

I wasn't sure how to reply, so I replied as if I was making a dating video.  With a straight face I said, "I like long walks on the beach, cheesy horror movies..."  After everyone got a good laugh, the interviewer clarified his question.

"I think there is a world market for maybe five computers."
Thomas Watson, chairman of IBM, 1943.
Have you read FAQ731-376 to make the best use of Eng-Tips Forums?

RE: Ridiculous interview questions

LOL - Only engineers from the Mid East and Far East know what an Eigenvalue is.
When I was in college, we engineering majors cowered in fear in the back row of the higher math classes. The instructor said very first day:  "I know you engineering types may not grasp this, but at least show some interest, and I will give you at least a "C".
Another math instructor would always say, as he was handing out test papers, "There will be many casualties on this test"

RE: Ridiculous interview questions

Pardon?  We love our Eigenvalues and Eigenvectors here in the northeast too. ;)

RE: Ridiculous interview questions

After half an hour of chat I was asked why I wanted to be a Project Engineer. I answered, I don't.

Never trust employment agencies to find you the right job.

corus

RE: Ridiculous interview questions

Usual questions when interviewing Big Corporation:

1) "Where do you see yourself 5 years from now, 10 years from now....",etc.
2) "Tell me a little about yourself..." or, "So tell me about <insert your name>" - as MadMango described.

Usual questions when interviewing small consulting firm:

1) "Can you start tomorrow? We are swamped!"
2) "I really can't afford to pay you that. If we select you, we can discuss a salary increase after 3 months".
Footnote to 2):
Hah! It will never happen. You will be lucky to get an assigned parking space.  

RE: Ridiculous interview questions

I asked about my assigned parking space on my first day.  My mentor said, "If you're so f_____g important, you damn well better be here first!"

;---

Showed a print that said something like "N detectable flaws allowed per unit volume", was queried, "What is the acceptable number of _un_detectable flaws?"




Mike Halloran
NOT speaking for
DeAngelo Marine Exhaust Inc.
Ft. Lauderdale, FL, USA

RE: Ridiculous interview questions

Of course, if you can't detect them by any means, then they're never going to cause a problem, so you can allow an infinite number of undetectable flaws.

Mike Halloran
NOT speaking for
DeAngelo Marine Exhaust Inc.
Ft. Lauderdale, FL, USA

RE: Ridiculous interview questions

I had an interview once and the manager seemed to look at me weird and acted like he wanted to ask something but wouldn't. A couple weeks later he finally asked me, "Your last name, what nationality?". I told him German. His eyes got big. He said "If I new that when I interviewed you, I wouldn't have hired you!". (He was British, his secratary was Scottish and the owner was Irish)
I quit a couple months later.

Chris
Sr. Mechanical Designer, CAD
SolidWorks 05 SP1.1 / PDMWorks 05
ctopher's home site

RE: Ridiculous interview questions

Stupidest question I remember "If you were changing the wheel on your car and lost the wheelnuts down a roadside drain, what would you do?".

I'd seen the answer in a mag the week before. Still didn't get the job.


Cheers

Greg Locock

Please see FAQ731-376 for tips on how to make the best use of Eng-Tips.

RE: Ridiculous interview questions

A technical question I was asked was What would happen if you lit a match in space. I said it'd go out as there's no air. This bleedingly obvious reply was the wrong answer it seems and I never got the job, thankfully.

corus

RE: Ridiculous interview questions

That's a shame. Even in the presence of oxygen it would still go out, if there is no gravity. No gravity = no convection=match gets surrounded by its own exhaust as it burns.

Cheers

Greg Locock

Please see FAQ731-376 for tips on how to make the best use of Eng-Tips.

RE: Ridiculous interview questions

Would it actually "go out" if there were no oxygen?  

Would it even start at all?

TTFN

RE: Ridiculous interview questions

I believe it will start, but then go out. I think this was proven once with candles on the space shuttle.

Chris
Sr. Mechanical Designer, CAD
SolidWorks 05 SP1.1 / PDMWorks 05
ctopher's home site

RE: Ridiculous interview questions

The very tip of a match contains an oxidizer and will burn under water  and I suspect in space as well.  I not sure of the chemicals (may be potassium chlorate).  I survived a childhood where we made mini cannons and used matchheads for powder.  

RE: Ridiculous interview questions

2
Corus,
could be this worked in your favour... would you have wanted to work for these guys? be tough to discover they are who they are after you've moved home etc.

Actually, there is a corollary to this; "what questions should they ask but didn't?"
How many companies actually check references, educational qualifications etc?
A company I once worked for recruited someone who was in the "too good to be true category". Almost overqualified, terrific experience. Prepared to work for them and for the money they were offering.
Of course, when, on his second day of work he didn't appear but they got a call from the police instead, they discovered it was a case of identity theft.... the guy was an ilegal imigrant who lifted his identity and cv from the internet.

Now what sort of questions would it take to expose this guy?
But of course, HR took control of the interviews and they know about as much engineering as they do about... well, about people I suppose.

JMW
www.ViscoAnalyser.com

RE: Ridiculous interview questions

Greg wins the prize for getting the correct answer beyond the bleedingly obvious one. Hot, and thus lighter air rises in gravity and so new air is drawn in to replenish the supply of oxygen, it seems. This is why you don't see aliens smoking in sci-fi movies.

corus

RE: Ridiculous interview questions

It seems to me that the guy answered the question correctly with, "It goes out."  Short of a complete definition of the "space" maybe he should have stuck with that.  When in an interview, isn't the idea to stick with short, concise, to the point answer that do not give information that was not asked for?

SCET - Techmaximus

RE: Ridiculous interview questions

Very interesting, but does the match in space differentiate between a potential good employee or bad employee?

Maybe you could just tell the interviewer the the eigen values go to zero, or infinity, or whatever.

RE: Ridiculous interview questions

Old Dave,

The answer to the hot cup of coffee question is to add the cream now because, at the lower temp, it would cool slower. This is an old one that was discussed in my heat transfer class many moons ago.

More important than the silly questions is what you see and hear during the interview. If it doesn't look and sound right, keep moving. Don't accept lower offers than your level. Also, interview your propective boss for his qualifications.

RE: Ridiculous interview questions

We covered this earlier, but it is still a riotous situation!
About 11 years ago, when I was interviewing for the position I now hold, my interviewer asked the usual barrage of questions, some logical, others not so.
The canned question, "Where would you like to be in 5 years"?  My canned reply "I would like to be in your position"!
Within seconds, she got up, left the interview room, and after an amount of time, I went outside to see what happened to her.  I was told that she checked out and left for the day!
I didn’t hear from this office for 6 months when I was recalled for another interview and was hired.  My future boss told me that I scared my first interviewer so much that she thought that I was after her job, and promptly destroyed my files and all notes from the interview!
Word of mouth steered my future boss to me.
She quit soon after I was hired, and would never look at me in the eyes when we spoke.  I didn’t realize I was that threatening!
Franz

eng-tips, by professional engineers for professional engineers
Please see FAQ731-376 for tips on how to make the best use of Eng-Tips Fora.

RE: Ridiculous interview questions

At my old company, we used to ask potential candidates to name their favorite movie of all time. We thought it was a stupid question at the time and so did some of the interviewees.

But, what started as a joke became a surprisingly good predictor of a person best suited for the work (building/failure investigations).  It also elicited some surprisingly candid responses.

Movies liked by the best candidates oddly enough can be found on  Thread1088-116509 (Engineering Movies)

The two people who turned out to be the worst hires both liked the same movie, Like Water for Chocolate.

RE: Ridiculous interview questions

What would they say if you liked Monty Python and the Holy Grail?

Speaking of heat transfer, there is a story around that hot water pipes will freeze before cold water pipes. People around here that come from the country claim it is true. There are several stories on the internet about it but it is still hard for me to believe. Something about the larger temperature difference in the hot pipe causes a rapid loss of heat.

RE: Ridiculous interview questions

If you told me in an interview that you liked Monty Python and the Holy Grail, I'd say "Nee!  Go ye, and bring us back a shrubbery!"

That hot water / cold water pipe thing bugs me.  I know it's generally the case in HVAC units that the hot will freeze first, but it's mainly because the tubes are much smaller.  (Takes less water to move heat at 100 degree F approach to the air (heating) than to move heat at 20 degree F approach to the air (cooling).  Less water in the coil, faster to freeze.

HOWEVER, if I put two trays of water in the freezer at the same time and one is 200 degrees F, the other 50 degrees F, the cooler one will freeze first.  I have had mechanics infer the opposite from what they observe in the field.

OK, somebody shoot me down.  I'm always anxious to learn!!

Fun,

Old Dave

RE: Ridiculous interview questions

If I were asked whether I liked it?  I would plead the fifth.  I am not sure I would admit to liking it; it's more that you just do it every so often for fun, like changing the head gasket in your car or something.  Every time I watch the thing, I say to myself, "I can't believe I'm watching this AGAIN."  Fool me once....

If I were asked how a 5-oz. bird could carry a one-pound coconut?  I would suggest slinging it between the dorsal guiding feathers with a strand of creeper.

I heard the freezing rate is more related to the air entrainment of cold water.  Apparently, water with no entrained air (hot water) freezes suddenly at a certain point, while the cold water freezes gradually, so it doesn't catch up.  That's what I heard.

William

RE: Ridiculous interview questions

Something about the larger temperature difference in the hot pipe causes a rapid loss of heat.
doesn't a hot water pipe become a cold water pipe sometime before freezing?

RE: Ridiculous interview questions

The properties of the water in the "hot water" pipe are different than the properties of the water in the "cold" water pipe.  This makes a difference in the which one freezes the fastest.  Think of your hot water heater as a big still, and there is a build up of minerals that will be in the hot water versus what is in the original cold water.

There are a lot of other conditions to concider.  The hot water/cold water freeze problem was hashed out on another board back in January.

RE: Ridiculous interview questions

I thought the hot ice cube tray froze before the cold one back when freezers didn't defrost.  They always had a thick layer of frost.  A warm ice cube tray would melt down into the frost and achieve greater heat transfer from the water by virtue of surface area and also by proximity to the refrigerant.

RE: Ridiculous interview questions

In residential applications I think the reason people think that hot water freezes faster than cold water is that they observe that a hot water spigot freezes before a cold water spigot.  But this occurs only because the hot side has de-aired water in the line.  Water that is de-aired, previously boiled and allowed to cool, freezes first.  Water that has been run through a water heater will freeze first, but not if it is still hotter than the cold water.  I seriously doubt that hot water in an ice cube tray will freeze faster cold water in a same ice cube tray.  Now if you boiled the water and allowed it to cool, or subjected the water to a vacuum pump and then placed it in the ice cube tray it would freeze faster.  Otherwise why would ice makers be hooked up to the cold water lines?

Techmaximus

RE: Ridiculous interview questions

Ahem

http://ask.yahoo.com/ask/20030930.html

"You'll be glad to know that however mysterious the phenomenon is, the Mpemba effect is put to good use by many ice-cream makers, who use warm milk instead of cool to help their ice cream freeze more quickly. "

Cheers

Greg Locock

Please see FAQ731-376 for tips on how to make the best use of Eng-Tips.

RE: Ridiculous interview questions

But here's the $20,000 question:  what ever happened to Erasto Mpemba?  He'd be in his early 50s now.

Hg

Eng-Tips guidelines:  FAQ731-376

RE: Ridiculous interview questions

This issue was discussed sometime back in Thread164-57348

I would go with Ivymike. Hotwater pipe should become a coldwater pipe before freezing.

If two freezers work at constant load and if hotwater freezes faster, this indicates less heat(because it works for lesser time) is removed from hotwater yet temperature is lowered down.

RE: Ridiculous interview questions

"what ever happened to Erasto Mpemba?"  maybe when he dies he'll be frozen...

Seriously now, I think we're all way off track.

I haven't a ridiculous question to contribute, but a very astute one:
"What is a drawing for?"  My answer got me the job.

Steven Fahey, CET
"Simplicate, and add more lightness" - Bill Stout

RE: Ridiculous interview questions

The question I hate to answer is: What are your weaknesses?"  How the heck are supposed to honestly answer: I'm late for work most days, I surf the net a lot, and some days I just don't feel like working!

RE: Ridiculous interview questions

I, too, despise the barbed question, "What are your weaknesses?"  I answered it in one interview by saying that as far as the requirements of the job were concerned, I didn't really have any weaknesses.  There are things I could improve upon, such as keeping a cluttered desk, but they're not weaknesses.  Well, I got one job that included that answer but I didn't get another...

Anything else I've heard seems contrived ("I work too hard," "I'm a perfectionist," "I put the job ahead of my personal life," etc...).

I certainly can't answer that one completely when it comes up, since my major weaknesses involve females, Italian food, and fine cigars.  That just would't do.

Good thread!

Old Dave

RE: Ridiculous interview questions

greglocock, what does one do when the lugnuts are down the drain? (got an interview coming up)

I know people who think their water pipe split when it THAWED.

RE: Ridiculous interview questions

(OP)
SnTMan,

Borrow a lug nut from the three other wheels and drive to the nearest service station and buy some more.

Haggis

RE: Ridiculous interview questions

So this is the "approved" answer?

Not: 1) Walk across the parking lot to the parts store.

2) Get some spares out of my toolbox.

3) Choke the crap out of the dunce that kicked them down there.

4) Since they were in my pocket, I 'm down the drain too, and have bigger things to worry about.

RE: Ridiculous interview questions

I have co-worker who got his first engineering job about five years ago with a different company than we are at now and he tells about his experience like this: Upon graduating from college he interviewed and got a job with a smallish civil engineering company.  During the interview the owner of the company seemed very interested in whether or not this guy could take of himself now that he was out of school and “on his own”.  The owner asked him all kinds of questions on was he prepared for life in the real world and that kind of thing.  On his first day on the job he was getting settled in when the owner of the company showed up at his cubical and announced that the two of them would be going out to a job for a site visit.  The owner said that he should be ready to go at 2pm.  So he was pretty excited to be going out on his first real engineering site visit but his boss takes him to the grocery store.  The boss grabs a buggy and commences a two hour hands-on tutorial on how to properly shop for food and how to prepare the same!  He just stands there dumbfounded but listens intently and even pretends to be soaking in all of this fascinating advice.  He just figured that the guy had never hired someone right out of college and played along.

Techmaximus

RE: Ridiculous interview questions

The site is good, casse, and reminds me of an interview question asked of a woman. Asked what she would be doing in 5 years time, she replied - married with 2 kids. She never got the job.

corus

RE: Ridiculous interview questions

I interviewed with a Japanese company right out of school that was about 30 miles away from home (I was still living with my parents at the time) and the guy asked what would my parents think about me working so far away from home?  I answered they would be happy to get me out of the house!  I didn't get that job LOL

RE: Ridiculous interview questions

plasgears & DrWieg maybe I missed the issue on the cream and coffee question.  If you wanted it to be as hot as possible.

Wouldn't the correct answer be not to add any cream at all.

RE: Ridiculous interview questions

You only have two choices.  In which case will the coffee-cream mixture be warmer in 15 minutes:

1.  Adding the cream now.  Even though the cream is colder, the coffee is cooling more quickly;
2.  Waiting 15 minutes; the cream will warm up, but the coffee will be cooling more slowly.

The answer is a definite "It depends (on a second-order nonlinear partial differential equation with variable coefficients)."  Vide supra.

Regards,
William

RE: Ridiculous interview questions

A lot of assumptions in that answer.

RE: Ridiculous interview questions

I agree about that "What are your weaknesses?" question.

I always have to make something up!

RE: Ridiculous interview questions

Thanks for the link MElam, i love those kinds of questions. Is there a post on here already with links to more of those questions? If not maybe someone should start a thread with them.

RE: Ridiculous interview questions

Q: "What are your weaknesses?"
A: "My only weakness is that sometimes I am too modest."

--
Dr Michael F Platten

RE: Ridiculous interview questions

The interesting point coming from this thread isn't the ridiculous questions but the commonly asked questions.

Seems like there are some common questions in interviews as if these guys all have the same play book:
"What are you weaknesses?"
"Why do you want to work for us?"

You know that buyers often get sent on sales courses just to learn the tricks they will come up against?

In the job interview arena we don't have the advantage of going on a training course for recruiters and we don't go to that many interviews.

But a thread like this can help if we don't just focus on the most ridiculous interview questions (just have to wing those) but if we do identify the most commonly asked questions and are able to prepare our answers.

MickeyP, i like your last but did you ever use it or just wish you had?

JMW
www.ViscoAnalyser.com

RE: Ridiculous interview questions

Q "What do you consider to be your weaknesses?"

A "Since every interviewer who asked me that question in the past hasn't hired me, and every interviewer who had better things to ask about did hire me, my answer must be 'Next question?'."

Steven Fahey, CET

RE: Ridiculous interview questions

The most common question, is Tell Me About Yourself. It tends to floor a lot of people and it's best to have a little history ready. If you go into an hour's monologue starting from your early childhood and the interviewer starts day-dreaming out of the window and picking his nose, then you've no chance. Keep it to a couple of minutes maximum.

corus

RE: Ridiculous interview questions

One motivational speaker I heard many years ago used that particular comment "tell me about yourself". The speaker’s suggestion was to turn it back around and ask the questioner "what would you like to know about me"?  That removed the subjectivity and turned it into objectivity question that the questioner had to answer in a more direct manner, and in such a way as to make your reply more directly in response.
If the questioner responded with the same question, ask it to be more narrowly defined.  In the US, your personal life situations are not allowable, only relevant work history.  The questioner cannot ask about them, but if you freely state them, they can be used in a split hiring decision!
Franz

eng-tips, by professional engineers for professional engineers
Please see FAQ731-376 for tips on how to make the best use of Eng-Tips Fora.

RE: Ridiculous interview questions

I think all should keep in mind that for most (albiet not all) openings there are numerous candidates with the technical competence to do a decent job.  

Therefore, whether the interviewer admits it or not,  they are often seeking the candidate that will be the "best fit" in the organization, persons with the appropriate personality, drive, etc.  In this regard,  any question that solicits a response can be a good question (or put another way - there is no such thing as a ridiculous question).  

Think about it this way - of those who have left your company within 2 years of being hired,  how many did it for reasons other than technical competance?

Seeking resumes, conducting interviews, and hiring people costs the company money.  Hiring the wrong person just wastes this money,  and in contrast, finding the "person with the best fit" who can do the job increases the chances that this person will still be an employee in 5 years and is a great use of these expenses.

RE: Ridiculous interview questions

Q: How many quarters would it take to stack them as high as the empire state building?

Thats the only information you get.

It was a simple "Firmy" problem, they just wanted to see your rationalization and really didn't care about the correct answer.  That is probably what they were looking at regarding to the match in space.  

At an interview with a smaller company that I had to drive 6hrs to and didn't get any re-embursement (I didn't mind not getting paid, but its nice).  I was tore apart by the employer.  One question that stands out was "what do you like to do in your spare time".  Ive heard it befor no big deal.  "Hunting, Fishing, Snowboarding in the winter, and Motocross in the summer"  

Now I know its not always good to mention "Risky" hobbies but I really dont want to work for ANY company that thinks they have the right to tell me what I can or cant do in my spare time.  Also, Ive never missed a day of work because of an injury, and I laborered through college, no cushy desk job.

ANYWAYS.. He immediatly replied.. "we had a guy that worked here who rode motorcycles (Harley).." the guy goes on for a good minute or so on how much they loved this guy and how good of a worker he was. He then says "he died in a motorcycle accident a year ago".  I didn't know what to say, it totally caught me off guard.  I looked at the other man that was with him to see his reaction which was the same constant smirk he had the entire interview.  

Didn't hear from them, nor did I want to.

RE: Ridiculous interview questions

What a dumb_A--

You should have told him you never sleep because most people die in a bed.

RE: Ridiculous interview questions

Ah yes, the "What are your weeknesses" question... I've been asked that one quite a bit. I typically try to turn it around by turning a question that asks for a negative trait into an answer that delivers a positive trait.

As an example:

"We'll, like everyone I have weeknesses but are am always working to improve on them. For example, after graduating college I wasn't organized enough. Of course I quickly realized this and was able to solve the problem by xyz..."

This not only shows your ability to recognize and solve a problem, but also demonstrates that you have a desire to continually improve yourself.

In my opinion, your the potential employer really doesnt want to hear about your weaknesses, just how you deal with them and keep them in check.

RE: Ridiculous interview questions

Turning it into a positive trait is just as much as cliché as the weaknesses question itself. Of course you should demonstrate that you're working on your weaknesses besides being aware of them, but if you think you can get away with "I guess I'm too modest" or "I'm a bit of a perfectionist" you're simply not as intelligent as the person on the other side of the table (and the people before and after you).

For heaven's sake... KNOW your weaknesses, TELL about them and be done with it. I would rather hire a sincere person than a dumbo who thinks he can bluff his way into my company.

RE: Ridiculous interview questions

2
What about replying that you've been turning your weaknesses into monthnesses and therefore they don't crop up as often?

Sorry, early morning pun.

Cheers,
CanuckMiner

RE: Ridiculous interview questions

I tell them my biggest weakness is that I use unimaginative handles in anonymous forums.

gh(4)

RE: Ridiculous interview questions

What a brave new world we are headed for!

They ask canned questions, we give canned answers, then all they are left with is to pick the candidate with the best haircut.

RE: Ridiculous interview questions

damn. I'm out then.

hey, I'm pleased to say that as an interviewer I've never asked any of these stupid questions.

There again, I only ever recommended one hire (who turned out to be every bit as good as I thought she would be)

Cheers

Greg Locock

Please see FAQ731-376 for tips on how to make the best use of Eng-Tips.

RE: Ridiculous interview questions

More on the "what's your weakness" question in Thread731-101460

Hg

Eng-Tips guidelines:  FAQ731-376

RE: Ridiculous interview questions

All I can say is that amazes me how stupid and incompetent some (most) managers are.  We already know the HR people are that way.  You just wonder how these people can get through the day without killing themselves.  In many companies the cream settles to the bottom and the other stuff rises to the top.

Regards
Dave

RE: Ridiculous interview questions

Most excellent posts, y'all!!! I have thoroughly enjoyed the posts here, and even laughed out loud at a bunch!

My very first interview, 8 yrs ago, was still in college with 1 month till graduation. The interviewer, a vice-pres., had me solve engineerng problems on the chalkboard in his office!! Had mixed feelings about it, but when asked, I said "sure..." and did it anyway as if I didn't mind. Got the problems right. After finishing the interview (4 hours), he asked me to call him in a week (yes, he wanted ME to call HIM back - I never understood this....). I didn't. Took an awsome job with another company....

Another wierd question I was asked (non-engineering job, before becoming an engineer):
"How much do you save a month?"
I ended the interview as politely as I could and ran screaming from the building.

A great question I had once at an engineering firm, and was complimented on my response:
"Give me an example of a task you completed or a goal you accomplished where you thought you were going to fail in the beginning, but actually succeeded?" I explained to the interviewer that I build radio-control model airplanes, and that I took on a particular model once that was way out of my league, and I knew I would fail, but I just wanted to see what would happen if I tried. I built the plane, and it flew beautifully - an outstanding success, as if I knew what I was doing the whole time. Her jaw hit the ground. I got the job. She later told me all her other canidates used "work-related" examples that were incredibly boring. My example was "interesting and refreshing." Since she didn't specify to use a work related examples in her question, by using an example from my personal life showed creativity - that I could think outside the box. My response was not planned, it was honest, dumb luck that I answered the way I did.  

Thanks for the great posts, everyone!!

RE: Ridiculous interview questions

"How much do you save a month?" in combination with "What's your current salary" is not a dumb question at all...

RE: Ridiculous interview questions

My scariest interview question was when I was applying for industrial sponsorship in my 6th form days.  One place I applied to was BNFL and they gave me the old chestnut of;

"If you are floating in a boat in a pond and throw a brick overboard, what happens to the water level in the pond?"

I had already thought this one through for some reason and had the answer to hand.  However, my (correct) answer was disputed by the interviewer.  I argued my case for a bit, thinking that maybe my explanation & arguing skills were being tested, but he was adamant.

I didn't get (or really want) the sponsorship.  And it still scares me that someone in that industry (nuclear power generation) doesn't understand the priciples of floatation.

RE: Ridiculous interview questions

Within the same company, another engineer and I used to ask the same stock question ... and expect different answers.  He, of course, was wrong.  I'm sure the candidates were very confused when they left.  Of course, the ones you would want, ran away screaming.

With respect to knowing how much you save, I've met people who could quantify that, but I always felt they spent more time keeping score than actually improving anything.  At a lot of outfits, it's very difficult to figure out what anything _really_ costs, and those seem to be the places where "cost improvement" projects are most popular.



Mike Halloran
Pembroke Pines, FL, USA

RE: Ridiculous interview questions

So what was the answer to the floating boat/brick question SomptinGuy?

RE: Ridiculous interview questions

Worst question ever (Cargill, May '04)

If you were a tree, what kind would you be and why?

I know its one of those "see how they react under pressure" questions, but it still blows my mind to this day.  

I look forward to asking the same thing when I interview someone *evil grin*.

RE: Ridiculous interview questions

Answer to boat/brick question:

If the brick sinks to the bottom (exerting a force on the bottom), the water level will rise.  If it floats (at any height above the surface), the level stays the same.

It's a question of upthrust and weight of water displaced.  The weight of water displaced to float both the brick and the boat doesn't depend on whether the brick is in the boat or not.

My interviewer was adamant that the relative (to water) density of the brick had to be 1.0 for the level to stay the same.

RE: Ridiculous interview questions

epoisses--asking about savings may not be dumb, but like any other question about one's life outside of the office, it's none of their damn business.  There are other threads around here about whether they can ask current salary.

Hg

Eng-Tips guidelines:  FAQ731-376

RE: Ridiculous interview questions

I got asked, "what did you do to prepare for this interview?"  -this was a board interview with 6 f my future superior officers

I thought the obvious answer was, "I took a shower and got dressed!"

-It wasn't what he was looking for, but he didn't hold it against me either.
SC

RE: Ridiculous interview questions

How much do you save a month?
Could he have meant this in a work related manner i.e. how much do you save the company a month?
i.e. if it refers to how successful you are at cutting costs.
Of course, it could also be directed at your personal savings but even if you think about this as a work related enquiry i.e. are you prudent (or pad too much) it isn't a good thing.
This attitude of mind could indicate a very cash flow limited company watching their margins.
Don't take the job because they will be cutting margins and overheads everywhich way including your salary.
Companies that are going somewhere usually are doing so by growth. If they are watching margins it also leads to increasing prices without regard to the market price and a whole host of other cretinous policies known only to management.

In fact, one of the most revealing points about this thread is not how much they learn about you from these questions but how much they reveal about themselves.

JMW
www.ViscoAnalyser.com

RE: Ridiculous interview questions

SomptingGuy:
Archimedes Principle says that the weight of water displaced by a floating object equals the weight of the floating object.

When you throw the brick overboard, the boat weighs less, so it displaces less water, and the water level drops, until the brick hits the water.

Assuming the brick sinks, the water level now rises again to make up for the volume of the brick.

So if the density of the brick is greater than water (it sinks) the volume of the brick is less than the volume of water of equal weight.  Therefore the water level would would not quite rise to its original level; a net drop in level.  (In other words, you have fewer floating objects, therefore less displacement of water.)

If the density of the brick is equal to water, you have no net change in level.

If you have a floating brick, you would still have no net change in level.  The weight of all floating objects is still the same & the water displaced is still the same.

RE: Ridiculous interview questions

McCormick93:

Oops, I meant to write that the level of water would FALL if the brick sank (finger/brain/memory trouble). That part is obvious to anyone who's got high-school physics qualifications.  And that part was understood by my interviewer.

It was the "what if it floats?" bit that bugged me.

RE: Ridiculous interview questions

(OP)
StompingGuy

You should have explained to him that if the volume of the brick material was shaped in a certain fashion it could indeed float.

Archimedes was another famous Scot who's name was misspelt over the years. It was really Archie Medes

RE: Ridiculous interview questions

The realistic engineering answer would be that in any reasonable pond larger than a bathtub, there would be no significant change in water level.  We're supposed to handle real-world problems!

Hg

Eng-Tips guidelines:  FAQ731-376

RE: Ridiculous interview questions

I got asked Sens/Leafs at an interview during the playoffs a couple years ago.  I said Sens.  The guy laughed.  I knew a guy that worked there at the time, so I asked him if he knew which the interviewer liked, sure enough...Leafs.

I didn't get the job, I figure coincidence.

Cheers

RE: Ridiculous interview questions

"On second thought, one guy wrote an equation on the blackboard and told me to find the Eigen values. Eigen who? I guess they did me a favor by not offering the job."

You're joking right?

I wouldn't hire you either if you're a mechanical engineer and don't know the very most basic vibrations concept. Seriously. I could look over this for an environmental engineer.

I thought this was supposed to be "Ridiculous Questions" not answers.

DES

RE: Ridiculous interview questions

Believe it or not, system dynamics is an "elective" course of study at many schools (or so I've heard - it was required at mine)...

RE: Ridiculous interview questions

HgTX:

"The realistic engineering answer would be that in any reasonable pond larger than a bathtub, there would be no significant change in water level.  We're supposed to handle real-world problems!"

Whilst I agree with the point made, you have to remember that my interview was with BNFL.  For pond, read "cooling tank".  For brick, read "spent fuel rod".  For water level, read "overflow".

RE: Ridiculous interview questions

But then, why would YOU be rowing around on a cooling tank with a spent fuel rod in your boat ? and then throw it overboard?

TTFN



RE: Ridiculous interview questions

Fishing for that three-eyed-carp from The Simpsons, no doubt.

RE: Ridiculous interview questions

IRstuff: "But then, why would YOU be rowing around on a cooling tank with a spent fuel rod in your boat ? and then throw it overboard?"

Maybe that was common practice at BNFL inthe 1980's?  Otherwise, why the interview question?

RE: Ridiculous interview questions

Then, it's probably a good thing that you DIDN't get the job;  otherwise, you might be permanently glo-in-the-dark by now

TTFN



RE: Ridiculous interview questions

An ex-colleague of mine who had, in his words, 'done time' at the BNFL Sellafield plant swore that BNFL was an abbreviation of 'Basically No Future Left'. A true optimist!!



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One day my ship will come in.
But with my luck, I'll be at the airport!

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