When preparing for a job interview, it helps to be aware of the problem solving or reasoning skills applicable to the job you’re seeking. Employers like to test their applicants with strange questions, riddles and mind games, because they need to see how potential employees work out unexpected and stressful situations live and in-person.
By mulling over these interview questions asked by America’s top companies (below), you will be primed and ready to face any problem during your next interview. Good luck!
1. How many invisible pens am I holding right now? (Scottrade)
2. You are in charge of 20 people. Organize them to figure out how many underground Pog tournaments there were in your area last year. (Boston Consulting Group)
3. What would you do if you just inherited three jet skis from your uncle? (Google)
4. How many rat kings are there in Manhattan? (Four Seasons Hotels)
5. Have you seen the show Lost? If yes, why is it worth seeing? No spoilers. (Aflac)
6. How many gallons of water on average gets splashed in Sea World’s splash zones each day? (Intel)
7. Why do you think poor people don't want to be rich like us? (Goldman Sachs)
8. If Velociraptors were alive today, how would you keep them from opening doors? (American Express)
9. If you could sleep with one Disney princess, who would it be? (Playboy)
10. You have eight pennies. Seven weigh the same. One weighs less. How long until you put them all into a drawer and forget about them? (Nugget Market)
11. I’m a vegetarian. Sell me on bacon. (Whole Foods Market)
12. Why does Garfield hate Mondays? (Quicken Loans)
13. Imagine you have a closet full of shoes. It’s very hard to find your shoes. Plus, your closet is scary. Who do you hire to get your shoes for you? (Zappos.com)
14. If you could steal famous monuments, where would you hide them? (AT&T)
15. Who wins in a post-apocalyptic fight? A cyborg, zombie, mutant or Jesus? (PCL Construction)
16. Given the numbers 1 to 1000, which one do you dislike the most? (Starbucks)
17. What does Mars taste like? (NASA)
18. If you could talk to dolphin, would you steal their secrets? (Teach For America)
19. Tell me a story using only the words I do not know. (Amazon.com)
20. Your wife is blind, your son is in a wheelchair, and your daughter has a hook for a hand. What the hell happened to your family? (The Methodist Hospital System)