# Strangest questions you've ever been asked in an interview. **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [April 26, 2016, 8:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/strangest-questions-youve-ever-been-asked-in-an-interview/753213 "2016-04-26T20:25:31Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 18\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![Gus\_Gusterson](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/85f322/32.png) [@Gus\_Gusterson](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gus_Gusterson)\ **Post date:** [April 28, 2016, 5:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/strangest-questions-youve-ever-been-asked-in-an-interview/753213/41 "2016-04-28T17:26:02Z")
> [@Whiskey\_Dickens](#): > > Good god, why would you accept? What was working for that interviewer like? Best job of my life. I still work here 19 years later. He swore all the time. He said inappropriate stuff all the time. But he was a great boss and would do anything for the people who worked for him. One time my girlfriend was really sick and he told me to go help her as much as I needed to and work when I could. I basically took four months off with pay. He didn’t even let me use any vacation days. ---
**Author:** ![Dr.Girlfriend](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dr.girlfriend/32/193_2.png) [@Dr.Girlfriend](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dr.Girlfriend)\ **Post date:** [April 28, 2016, 5:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/strangest-questions-youve-ever-been-asked-in-an-interview/753213/42 "2016-04-28T17:26:50Z")
I don’t know that it’s a strange question but it was one of the most memorable. The guy interviewing me for the job I have now asked me what I would do with $1 million if he handed it to me right then and there. I said I’d pay off my student loan, put some money aside for my nieces so they wouldn’t have to take out student loans, and spend some on myself. The rest I’d sock away somewhere. He told me a few weeks after I started the job that it was the putting money aside for my nieces answer that told him I was the right person for the job. He said that meant I was unselfish and thought about others ahead of myself. Of course I realize now that meant that I would be expected to put my own assigned projects aside if someone else was falling behind and never mind if I fall behind myself, but that’s a whole different rant. ---
**Author:** ![friedo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/8edcca/32.png) [@friedo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/friedo)\ **Post date:** [April 28, 2016, 5:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/strangest-questions-youve-ever-been-asked-in-an-interview/753213/43 "2016-04-28T17:26:56Z")
> [@Gus\_Gusterson](#): > > Interviewer: What’s your degree in? > Me: Computer Science. > Interviewer: Computer Science is for pussies. Are you a pussy? If you’re a pussy tell me now so I don’t waste my time. > > I don’t remember how I replied but I got the job so I must have managed to convince him that I’m not a pussy. Were you working for late-1980s Steve Jobs? Here’s my weird one. Went in for a mid-level programming job. Met the other programmers, did the usual chat about my previous projects and some dull whiteboard problems, etc. That went fine. Then the big boss comes in. After the usual pleasantries, Him: “So, tell me, how does Google work?” Me: “What do you mean exactly, like the PageRank algorithm, or how they do distributed processing–” Him: “How does Google work?” Me: “Well, _Google_ is pretty vague, and I never worked there so I only know of some of the stuff they’ve published–” Him: “No, how does _GOOGLE_ work?” Me: “I guess I really don’t understand what you’re asking me. Could you be more specific?” Him: “Oh, sure. What I’m asking is…_how does GOOGLE WORK?!_” (Lengthy pause.) Me: “It works pretty well, I guess.” Didn’t get that one. Probably a good thing. ---
**Author:** ![Gus\_Gusterson](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/85f322/32.png) [@Gus\_Gusterson](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gus_Gusterson)\ **Post date:** [April 28, 2016, 5:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/strangest-questions-youve-ever-been-asked-in-an-interview/753213/44 "2016-04-28T17:35:25Z")
> [@friedo](#): > > Him: “So, tell me, how does Google work?” > Me: “What do you mean exactly, like the PageRank algorithm, or how they do distributed processing–” > Him: “How does Google work?” > Me: “Well, _Google_ is pretty vague, and I never worked there so I only know of some of the stuff they’ve published–” > Him: “No, how does _GOOGLE_ work?” > Me: “I guess I really don’t understand what you’re asking me. Could you be more specific?” > Him: “Oh, sure. What I’m asking is…_how does GOOGLE WORK?!_” > > (Lengthy pause.) > > Me: “It works pretty well, I guess.” > > Didn’t get that one. Obviously. You don’t even know how Google works. ---
**Author:** ![Boggette](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/858c86/32.png) [@Boggette](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Boggette)\ **Post date:** [April 28, 2016, 6:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/strangest-questions-youve-ever-been-asked-in-an-interview/753213/45 "2016-04-28T18:02:58Z")
The Bog was asked on a job interview if he would work the first few months for free so he could “prove to them he knew what he was doing” before being paid. It was at a car junkyard. They needed someone to pull working parts off non-working cars. Bog laughed in his face and walked out. ---
**Author:** ![RealityChuck](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/realitychuck/32/195_2.png) [@RealityChuck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RealityChuck)\ **Post date:** [April 28, 2016, 6:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/strangest-questions-youve-ever-been-asked-in-an-interview/753213/46 "2016-04-28T18:08:08Z")
> [@Boggette](#): > > The Bog was asked on a job interview if he would work the first few months for free so he could “prove to them he knew what he was doing” before being paid. It was at a car junkyard. They needed someone to pull working parts off non-working cars. Bog laughed in his face and walked out. But think of the _exposure_! Sorry. Writer’s joke. ---
**Author:** ![Shodan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/9f8e36/32.png) [@Shodan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shodan)\ **Post date:** [April 28, 2016, 6:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/strangest-questions-youve-ever-been-asked-in-an-interview/753213/47 "2016-04-28T18:20:14Z")
> [@Gus\_Gusterson](#): > > Best job of my life. I still work here 19 years later. > > He swore all the time. He said inappropriate stuff all the time. But he was a great boss and would do anything for the people who worked for him. One time my girlfriend was really sick and he told me to go help her as much as I needed to and work when I could. I basically took four months off with pay. He didn’t even let me use any vacation days. He sounds like a pussy. Regards, Shodan ---
**Author:** ![Bullitt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bullitt/32/5725_2.png) [@Bullitt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bullitt)\ **Post date:** [April 28, 2016, 7:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/strangest-questions-youve-ever-been-asked-in-an-interview/753213/48 "2016-04-28T19:07:24Z")
> [@hogarth](#): > > What comes next in this sequence? O T T F F S S > > Apparently that job required an encyclopedic knowledge of old riddles. Isn’t that E? Then followed by A T M E? ---
**Author:** ![Boggette](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/858c86/32.png) [@Boggette](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Boggette)\ **Post date:** [April 28, 2016, 7:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/strangest-questions-youve-ever-been-asked-in-an-interview/753213/49 "2016-04-28T19:36:56Z")
> [@RealityChuck](#): > > But think of the _exposure_! > > Sorry. Writer’s joke. I, too, am a writer. Technical, but still Writer. 🙂 It’s also a musician’s joke. The whole concept of free work is a joke. I had an interview where they wanted me to document one of their procedures as part of the interview. They wanted me to stay the whole day writing it for them. _sigh_ ---
**Author:** ![Barkis\_is\_Willin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/a183cd/32.png) [@Barkis\_is\_Willin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Barkis_is_Willin)\ **Post date:** [April 28, 2016, 7:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/strangest-questions-youve-ever-been-asked-in-an-interview/753213/50 "2016-04-28T19:49:55Z")
I had an interview where the first question right out of the gate was “what does you father do?” So odd. Who’s to say I even know who my father is? And what difference does it make if he’s a street performer or a Fortune 500 CEO? ---
**Author:** ![Bullitt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bullitt/32/5725_2.png) [@Bullitt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bullitt)\ **Post date:** [April 28, 2016, 8:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/strangest-questions-youve-ever-been-asked-in-an-interview/753213/51 "2016-04-28T20:22:41Z")
> [@Bullitt](#): > > Isn’t that E? > > Then followed by A T M E? Okay that was a cryptic reply. Basically it’s a stupid question. ---
**Author:** ![gigi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/a587f6/32.png) [@gigi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gigi)\ **Post date:** [April 28, 2016, 8:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/strangest-questions-youve-ever-been-asked-in-an-interview/753213/52 "2016-04-28T20:53:34Z")
> [@Bullitt](#): > > Okay that was a cryptic reply. > > Basically it’s a stupid question. There’s no “I” in team! But there is “eat me”. ---
**Author:** ![gigi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/a587f6/32.png) [@gigi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gigi)\ **Post date:** [April 28, 2016, 8:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/strangest-questions-youve-ever-been-asked-in-an-interview/753213/53 "2016-04-28T20:55:01Z")
> [@Gus\_Gusterson](#): > > Interviewer: What’s your degree in? > Me: Computer Science. > Interviewer: Computer Science is for pussies. Are you a pussy? If you’re a pussy tell me now so I don’t waste my time. > > I don’t remember how I replied but I got the job so I must have managed to convince him that I’m not a pussy. Heh. I was just watching **The Leftovers** and remarking to myself about how fast I would leave an interview if the interviewer said “fuck”. ---
**Author:** ![Sir\_T-Cups](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ed655f/32.png) [@Sir\_T-Cups](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sir_T-Cups)\ **Post date:** [April 28, 2016, 9:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/strangest-questions-youve-ever-been-asked-in-an-interview/753213/54 "2016-04-28T21:31:22Z")
“What is your greatest accomplishment” “What is your biggest regret” Not terribly crazy as you read them, but this was an interview for an RA position in college when I’m not even 20 yet. After being taken aback by them for a bit I ended up literally making up an answer on the spot. Biggest regret was not going to Mexico on a mission trip with my brother, biggest accomplishment was a made-up story about making a friend of mine, who had a bad day, laugh. I ended up getting hired and upon telling my boss (months later) that I made them up she hit me (playfully) and said “dammit I loved those answers.” Kinda related: One of the questions they asked me was “which residence hall would you like to RA in” and I said the name of the all female all. Half of them were writing it down before they noticed. She said she hired me for that answer too. ---
**Author:** ![Corner\_Case](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/corner_case/32/234_2.png) [@Corner\_Case](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Corner_Case)\ **Post date:** [April 28, 2016, 9:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/strangest-questions-youve-ever-been-asked-in-an-interview/753213/55 "2016-04-28T21:59:06Z")
> [@Sampiro](#): > > “Why did you flunk freshman Economics?” … > Same interview she asked me why I wear a gold ankh ring. > > Weirder still is that when she called my references, she asked them the same thing! All your references failed freshman Economics and each wears a gold ankh ring? Are you in some kind of Egyptian Command Economy Cult? When you go to school games and yell “Ra! Ra! Ra!” are you really referring to the Sun God? ---
**Author:** ![Miller](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/miller/32/481_2.png) [@Miller](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Miller)\ **Post date:** [April 28, 2016, 10:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/strangest-questions-youve-ever-been-asked-in-an-interview/753213/56 "2016-04-28T22:18:50Z")
“What’s so American about apple pie, anyway?” As it turned out, I’d [just read about the answer.](http://www.straightdope.com/columns/read/2141/whats-the-story-with-johnny-appleseed) Got the job. (I think the point of the question was to show that the work environment was okay with a bit of whimsy. I think the fact that my interviewer had blue hair and was dressed like a Japanese school girl probably sufficiently established that, though.) ---
**Author:** ![nearwildheaven](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/90db22/32.png) [@nearwildheaven](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/nearwildheaven)\ **Post date:** [April 28, 2016, 11:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/strangest-questions-youve-ever-been-asked-in-an-interview/753213/57 "2016-04-28T23:06:09Z")
Interview for a waitressing job at Perkins, 30 years ago: The manager took off his watch and handed it to me, and said, “Sell me this watch.” Can’t remember what I said, but I did get the job. ---
**Author:** ![TheSeaOtter](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/ed655f/32.png) [@TheSeaOtter](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TheSeaOtter)\ **Post date:** [April 29, 2016, 3:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/strangest-questions-youve-ever-been-asked-in-an-interview/753213/58 "2016-04-29T03:19:24Z")
Not so much a strange question as a strange follow-up. I’m about an hour into this interview, having talked with two different people fairly extensively. And then: Interviewer: “Do you have social media accounts? Facebook? Twitter?” Me: “I was convinced to join Facebook in school. I don’t have a Twitter, though - I don’t think the world cares that much about the minutiae of my daily life.” Interviewer: “Thanks for coming in. We only hire people who are passionate about Twitter.” The job was backend web development - databases, server-side application code, that kind of thing. It was not at Twitter. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/strangest-questions-youve-ever-been-asked-in-an-interview/753213.md?page=2)