Top 10 Weirdest Job Interview Questions

MIAMI - MARCH 27: Juan Carlos Soto, who lost ...

Image by Getty Images via @daylife

Because the job market is so competitive these days, employers are constantly on the look out for innovative ways to learn about their applicants.

One way that a potential employer can gain some insight about a job applicant is to pop quiz them with weird or interesting job interview questions. Here are ten of the weirdest that you may ever hear.

  1. What sign are you? Although astrology may not seem important in a job search, your star sign may give a potential employer some insight about who you are. From school astrology to work astrology, astrological signs are becoming increasingly prevalent in giving insight into a person’s basic traits.
  2. What kind of tree would you be, if you were a tree? It would be good to have an answer to this prior to your interview, especially if the interviewer should happen to ask you why.
  3. What kind of animal are you? Here is another creativity question. Be prepared to answer this to show that you can think on your feet. Have a solid answer that you can reasonably explain if the interviewer asks why you chose your answer.
  4. Who was the worst boss you ever had? It would be safer to say that you have never had a bad boss, but that every boss provided a unique challenge, learning experiences and the like. Be positive about past jobs and supervisors.
  5. If you were a super hero, what would your superpowers be? This is another creativity question, giving insight into who you are as a person and showing the interviewer that you can think on your feet.
  6. Describe yourself in three words. Be humble but be positive about yourself, using truth to describe yourself with words like “hardworking,” “organized” and “detail-oriented.”
  7. What would your last three supervisors say about you? Be honest, but do not say anything bad about yourself. Turn any potentially bad things into opportunities for growth or improvement.
  8. If you won money in the lottery, how would you spend it? This question gives insight into what your life plans are, and tells the interviewer a little more about who you are as a person.
  9. If there was a news story for your life, how would your headline read? Give an answer that gives insight into your personality and creativity, as well as that you can think on your feet.
  10. Do you have any questions for me? This question always seems bizarre when asked, but it is a very telling question and you must answer it correctly. Come prepared to hear this interview question by researching basic information on the company beforehand and preparing a list of questions about the interviewer or the company.

You should definitely be prepared for curve-ball questions like these during your job interviews. Interviewers are looking for quick-thinking employees who can problem solve, recall information and come up with answers quickly and effectively.

What’s the strangest question you’ve ever been asked dring an interview? What was your answer?

Filed Under: General Business Codes, Human Resources Tagged With: , , ,

The Code for Working Women and Maternity Leave

Star of life, blue version, with #FFD700 snake...

Image via Wikipedia

Although pregnancy is an exciting time for most women, this can be the first lesson in juggling family and the workplace. Most employers are understanding of these needs, but some just don’t seem to get it.

If you plan on working after your child is born, keep these tips in mind:

Informing Your Employer

While you’re not obligated to tell your employer the second you find out you’re pregnant, it might be a good idea to let them know before you show up in maternity clothes. Depending on the company, you should either let your CEO or line manager know first.

When you give your happy news, inform them of your anticipated due date and how long you plan on taking for maternity leave. If you have a critical position, offer to train someone to fill in for you while you’re gone. You should also plan on taking a few phone calls or emails while you’re away if a problem comes up.

The Length of Maternity Leave

 

Although federal law, The Family and Medical Leave Act, requires most employers to give you up to 12 weeks of unpaid leave when you have a child, the vast majority of companies provide four to six weeks of pay to the expectant mother.

Dad’s can also take 12 weeks of unpaid leave through the FMLA, but few employers offers paid paternity leave. Unless you occupy a key position that the company can’t do without, you’ll be able to return to your existing position or a comparable one.

When possible, you should give your employer about 30 days notice that you’ll be taking this time.
If your employer doesn’t offer paid maternity leave, try to save up sick time and vacation time so you won’t have to eat into your savings while you’re recovering from your pregnancy and taking care of an infant. To protect your rights, visit sites like Family Planning to learn everything you can about taking maternity leave.

Plan Your Return

It won’t be as simple as you think to return to work. While your job may be waiting, you have to find dependable childcare from a provider you trust before you can start working again. This could mean using a traditional daycare center, finding a small daycare provider who works from a private home, or hiring an in-home babysitter or nanny.

While a dedicated care-taker is the best option for some, many can’t afford it. Regardless of your choice, make sure the person or center is qualified and doesn’t have a ton of pending complaints.

Many mothers don’t count on how emotional it can be to return to work. While your new baby is too young to have separation anxiety, you might have a little bit of your own. After all, who could ever care for you precious little one better than you? Some new moms go back to work part-time at first to ease back into a 40-hour work-week.

While a career and a family definitely mix in the modern world, this situation adds a complex layer to starting a family. How do you juggle your job and your family obligations?

Filed Under: Guidance, Human Resources Tagged With: , , ,

Tips for the Interview

Interviewing can be a little nerve-wracking. As a potential employee, you may feel like you are on trial, and you are exactly right. An interview is often like a trial-run for the employer. He or she hopes to learn more about your personality, intentions and business skills. It is essential for you to put some thought and planning in before you go to an interview.

First off, appearance really does matter. Be sure your dress and grooming are appealing and appropriate. If the store or office you hope to work at is more casual, wear very nice casual clothes. While you do not want to overdress for an interview, if you have to err, err on the side of dressier rather than casual. This means for girls smart-looking dress slacks or a skirt. For men this means khaki pants or a suit. While appearances can be deceiving, you show by the way you dress how you feel about yourself and the position you are applying for.

Next, plan to be a little early. Punctuality is absolutely critical. An employer will not get a very good impression if you can’t even show up to an interview on time. Give yourself plenty of time to get ready, find parking if you are driving, and time to locate the business or office you need to find.

Treat everyone courteously and graciously. While the employer is the one who will most likely do the hiring, how you interact with the other employees will display whether you will fit well in the work environment. Employers want good relations between employees. So your attitude towards others, such as a front-desk receptionist or other sales representatives will speak loud and clear how you will contribute to the overall business success.

When answering interview questions and chatting with the boss, be relaxed and confident. Just give it your best.

Filed Under: Human Resources Tagged With: , ,

On the Job Hunt

Job hunting can be a very tedious task. Don’t be discouraged if you can’t secure a position as quickly as you would like. If you are not successful on your first several attempts, take some time to review your approach.

Are you filling out the applications correctly? Maybe take some time to have a friend or even a professional edit and correct any errors that they may find. Consider revising answers to such questions, “Why do you want this job?” and other such subjective questions. Your creativity and sincerity need to show through.

Do you have enough experience and education to qualify for the jobs you are applying for? While some things may be obvious, such as the necessity of a particular degree or a specific time period of past job experience, many times the job skill level can vary. If you need to boost your resume, consider just volunteering at a business to gain experience or even enroll in some related classes. Any proof you can note on your resume of interest or effort to gain skill, will help you get your foot in the career door.

Have you networked? Do friends and family know you are looking for a job? Do they have connections that could assist you in the job hunt? Often times it is really who you know rather than what you know. People land jobs because they know someone who knows a certain employer. Letting people know you are looking for work will give them an opportunity to keep their ears and eyes open for any job openings they may learn about. You may even ask them to present your resume to their friends or employers to help you in your search for work.

Also take a look at your etiquette and how you are presenting your interviews? The quality of your interview skills can make or break your chances for employment.

Many factors go in to gaining employment. As you apply the above and put your best foot forward, you will be sure to achieve your goal.

Filed Under: Human Resources Tagged With: , ,

Dealing with Unpleasant Customers

There are always a handful of customers that are constant complainers or are simply unpleasant. These customers call frequently to complain or will even stop by to make sure their complaints are heard. The constant complainers take up a great deal time and resources. If a customer becomes belligerent with employees, it is time to consider if their business is worth the time and effort.

When dealing with difficult customers, it is important to stay calm and speak with a soft voice. This proven technique will usually calm the customer enough to address this situation effectively. Hearing another person speak softly makes the customer aware of his or her tone. Responding negatively to the customer will only escalate the situation.

Once the customer is calm, let the customer know you are there to help and that you appreciate his or her continued business. Also, provide the customer with a subtle hint that you have resolved past issues and will continue to provide assistance to meet his or her needs.

Above all, remain professional during difficult encounters. Remain as polite as possible and continue to reassure the customer you are willing to work toward a solution.

It is important for businesses to review customer complaints. If a customer complains about the same mistake several times, there is a problem. You should only make a mistake once. Repeating the same mistakes is bad for business. Initiate measures to ensure mistakes are not repeated. You will receive fewer complaints and your customers will be happy.

There are some customers that you cannot please. These customers will find something to complain about no matter how spectacular your service is. These customers become a nuisance and often will verbally berate employees. You must evaluate this situation carefully. You have to consider if this is a customer worth keeping.

Filed Under: Human Resources Tagged With: ,

Hand Out Postcard Promotion

Galata in a 19th century postcard
Image via Wikipedia

Successful businesses are well aware of the concept of spending money to make money. Usually, the spending comes in the form of marketing dollars. If you’re one of the big boys of business you can afford a million dollar Super Bowl spot. For the small businesses it’s more about direct local marketing. One very efficient tool is a creative postcard used to promote your services. But just because you have a postcard doesn’t mean you need to mail it out. Postcards can be just as effective as hand-out promotional material.

There are many restaurants that have small postcard kiosks hanging in hallways and restrooms. These allow customers to pick through a variety of postcards to pull out their favorite. To stand out from the crowd, you’ll want to have a striking image and offer a special deal. Don’t just settle for “Hi, this is my business.” The goal is to get a person to leave with the postcard and that can be accomplished with a striking image.

Another way to spread your business postcards is to make them available to friendly stores in the neighborhood. Obviously, you’re not going to get much exposure with a competing business. However, if you have a dry cleaning store then it makes sense to have your business postcards at a nearby dress shop. You can also offer an exchange: you’ll take a neighboring business’s postcards if they take yours. This is perfect way to spread the message of supporting local shops.

If the idea of creating an artistic postcard sends a shudder down your spine, have no fear. The online postcard printing company you choose will have talented graphic artists standing by to help you come up with a unique postcard. You can still do a mailing campaign. Just make sure you have plenty of leftover postcards to hand out!

Enhanced by Zemanta
Filed Under: Human Resources Tagged With: , ,

Tips for Professional Conduct in a Business Setting

Professional conduct in a business environment is an important key towards success. Showing others self comportment in a polite and confident manner without being overly obnoxious or overbearing impresses those who are watching.

Be ethical at all times. Regardless if it’s working with another employee or creating a deal, ethics should be at the top of the list. It shows honesty and a willingness to keep the hands above the table to others, creating an atmosphere of trust.

Act appropriately in the office. Every office atmosphere is different. Be sensitive to the moods and attitudes of others and act accordingly. There is a time to be boorish, and the office is not one of them. To be sure acting out is a form of stress relief. Do it in the appropriate areas outside of work.

Avoid conflicts of interest with the client. The idea is to demonstrate that the employee holds their own employer as an entity who has no interest in anything other than the contracted relationship. Don’t go offering services to the client that will cause a conflict with the employer. It shows a lack of moral conduct on the part of the employee.

Maintain the tightest of confidentiality with the customer. Demonstrate to them that the employee and employer can be trusted with sensitive information. If information that has been supplied is only meant for certain persons, keep it that way. Don’t bandy about or offer information on this latest hot project. It can keep until long after the work has been completed.

Don’t say something can be done when in reality it cannot. There may be an overwhelming urge to show management a capability. What really may happen is that the work is way beyond abilities and will cause the employee to fall flat on their face. This definitely does not look good.

Enhanced by Zemanta
Filed Under: Guidance, Human Resources Tagged With: , ,

Job Interviews

Job Interview
Image by fuzzcat via Flickr

Getting the few insufficiently jobs opening is very rare in these post-recession times. Hence whatever opening pop up, it is important that a person goes at it with full preparation and planning. You can plan for things like information about the company, the company’s investments and other job related knowledge that you need to have for a successful interview. It is important that you appear professional throughout the interview.
When thrown a question, it is important that the person take a strategic and planed route to answering the question. If one rushes with a very immediate reply, the natural flow of the conversation will be interrupted. You might be through straight questions which do not require any thinking, but it is important that you think it through so that there is no hidden tricky question in the question asked. Even if the answers are too obvious, don’t rush it, measure your answer for any more questions that can be raised from it. Being aggressive helps, to give a positive feeling to the employer that you are the right employee. There is a fine line between being positively confident and negatively confident. One needs to learn to distinguish between the two. Some people never learn to distinguish between the two and end up failing numerous interviews. Remember to tell the truth when answering to interviewers and not scripted answers. Experiences interviewers can easily distinguish between truthful answers and cliché dialogues. So just make sure you get things right the first time and stick to your answers and principles. At the time of leaving an interview office, leaving in a friendly manner is very important. It does not matter how bad the interview went, it is very important that the person maintains a professional etiquette. This might just be the cherry on the top that you could get the interview no matter how bad the cake was.

Enhanced by Zemanta
Filed Under: Human Resources Tagged With: , , , , , , ,