Don't be a Fool for OddBall Questions

In honor of April Fools' Day, here are some interviewing tips for those tricky questions that employers like to ask. Employers sometimes like to ask questions that you cannot anticipate, and some of the questions may even cause you to wonder if the interview is serious at all. However, these following questions are not a joke. Below are a few questions obtained from GlassDoor that major companies ask in actual interviews, as well as some suggestions for how to answer these questions.



It is okay if you do not know the answer. Most of these questions are designed for you to think on your feet.


“How many basketballs can you fit in this room?” -Google

Unless you know a piece of trivia like this, you will have to think on your feet. Explain to the interviewer how you might go about estimating this.

You might describe the estimated dimensions of the room and the volume of a basketball and use some quick math to give an estimate.
Another way to answer, if you have no idea, would be to assure the employer that, if asked a question you cannot answer, you would research to find out. Tell the employer, "I am unsure right now, but I'd be more than happy to research and get back to you with an answer.



  

 
“There are three boxes, one contains only apples, one contains only oranges, and one contains both apples and oranges. The boxes have been incorrectly labeled such that no label identifies the actual contents of the box it labels. Opening just one box, and without looking in the box, you take out one piece of fruit. By looking at the fruit, how can you immediately label all of the boxes correctly?” –Apple

This question does have a right answer, but in the pressure of an interview it may be difficult to logically figure it out. This question aims to determine what kind of problem-solving skills you have, so if you’re confident in your logic abilities, feel free to try and solve the problem out loud. Your main goal should be to verbalize how you are approaching the problem.

If you are not confident in your ability to think logically and analytically during an interview, try thinking outside the box. A response such as, “I would label each of the boxes ‘fruit’” or “I would smell the boxes” shows that you understand the question and can think on your feet with a creative answer.

Bottom Line: be able to share your thought process and think on your feet with oddball questions in an interview!


Spoiler Alert: here’s the answer to the Apples and Oranges Question:

Each of the boxes is labeled incorrectly, so you know that the one labeled “Apples and Oranges” will contain only the fruit that you pull out; this will be the one you choose to look in. If you pull out an apple, then you know to label that basket “Apples” (similarly, label it “Oranges” if you pull out an orange). Now look at your other two baskets: you now know that one of these contains both apples and oranges, and the other contains the fruit you did not pull out. So, if you pulled out an apple, you know that the box labeled “Oranges” cannot contain all apples, nor can it contain all oranges (because it is labeled incorrectly), so you will label it “Apples and Oranges.” Finally, the box labeled “Apples,” must have only oranges.



For a full list of the top 25 oddball questions, visit the GlassDoor website. Each interview is different, but hopefully you will be able to tackle these weird questions in a logical way. Bottom line: show the employer how you would go about answering a question that you do not immediately know how to answer. For general interview help, visit the Career Services website.


Happy April Fools' Day:)