The Right Answer for Weird Interview Questions

I had an interview once where I was asked to answer a riddle.  I don't remember what the riddle was, just that I thought it was stupid.  I started working it out by speaking my thought process out loud.  I actually figured it out (still thought it was stupid).  The interviewer told me no one else had figured it out and most people didn't take it seriously and refused to answer.  I didn't care.  I was there to interview for a job and I was irritated that they were wasting my time.  I must be very charming when I'm annoyed because I got the job.  I learned later that it was the way I answered the riddle that helped me stand out.  Not that I had gotten it right, although that helped, but because of how I went about answering.

Related:  Questions You Should Ask the Interviewer

Being asked seemingly ridiculous questions during an interview can seem pointless and be frustrating. What kind of tree would I be?  Are you kidding me?  But as stupid as these kinds of questions sound, they actually serve a pretty good purpose.  A weird question can give the interviewer quite a lot of insight into the job candidate, depending on how the person answers.


The trend toward these types of questions really caught hold when Microsoft famously asked job candidates, "Why are manhole covers round?".  I feel bad for the first person to hear this one.  Have you ever given it any serious thought?  I hadn't until I read an article about the question.  If you want to know why, take a look at the story on Wikipedia.  Don't be lazy, go read it.  A couple of other good ones are "How many cars are in the US?" and "What superhero would you be?".  The last one I've actually thought about and would have fun answering but the number of cars in the US?  Seriously?

Related: Get Your Resume Seen

The point of these questions isn't to be funny or to waste time.  No one really cares how many cars there are (ok, Detroit might) or what superhero you pretend to be in your head.  It's not so much what you answer but in how you answer.  Even if it's not a question like these but just one that you don't know the answer to, your best bet is to start reasoning it out by talking out loud.  Talk your way through the problem so they can understand your process.  This shows you're actually trying, taking it seriously and can demonstrate how creative and smart you are.  You probably don't know how why a manhole cover is round but you can probably think of a few reasons it might be.  

The purpose of an interview isn't so much about finding out if you have the required skills, they figure you do or they wouldn't be talking to you.  It's more about learning how you think, work and how well you'll fit in.  Which, really, is more important.  Many of the skills can be taught but a good sense of humor, critical thinking and creativity can't.  You have to bring those.  So don't keep your reasoning to yourself, talk it through.  And once you get hired, you may already have a cool new nickname.  Or not, depending on your answer to the superhero question.