Interviews sometimes get funny and even incomprehensible turns, most often it happens when you are asked non-technical interview questions. The very moment when the recruiter asks you a question, and in your head “What ?! Is this really important?!” We decided to ask our employees, they were asked the most ridiculous non-technical questions during interviews, and we will also try to explain the reasons why these questions were asked.
- At one of the interviews, they asked me why I came to them … for a few seconds my jaw dropped and I had to pick it up from the floor (laughs). Hello! You have a vacancy, so I came. For recruiter, I answered: “You have a vacancy in my specialty, another recruiter tried to persuade me to come. I also expect a larger salary than I have now.” After my answer (honest!) I realized that the recruiter was “sour” and our interview ended on a minor note. Of course, no one else called me from there. And thank God! That’s what these trivial questions are about?! It looks like recruiters are expecting to hear something like “I want to work here to change the world for the better! And you also have free coffee – it’s a Klondike, take me!”. As for me, the answer to the question “Why did you come to us?” – is always very obvious and simple.
Heh, these are the jokers “Why did you come to us?”. We believe that there was a problem in the formulation of the question itself, it had to be asked “What attracted you to our company?”, and it is quite real that a person is looking for a new interesting project and this is the reason for the search for a new job. This question is not meaningless, because it makes it clear the true motives of looking for a new job and assess the motivation of the candidate.
- I am annoyed and confused by the question of recruiters about my personal life. Are you married? Do you have children? How much? Why not yet? When do you plan? .. It seems strange to me how my personal life affects my abilities as an employee? Or is it strange not to have a husband at 26? Only once I was asked such questions and I literally tore claws out of there.
Hmm, we believe that asking such questions is incorrect, even stereotypical. The motives for such questions are clear – if in the near future you are planning children, then very soon you will go on maternity leave and we will be left without a specialist. But! Specialists are leaving, no matter what gender, age and social status they are, and trying to predict their exit from the company is pointless.
- At one of the interviews I was asked who I am according to my zodiac sign … I even laughed at this moment. People, we are engaged in development here, not astrology – it’s obvious! How does my zodiac sign affect my working ability? I answered, of course, but the recruiter did not understand my reaction with a laugh. Well, really, everyone knows this – at interviews, they are always interested in the sign of the zodiac. It seems that my zodiac sign did not suit them, so they did not contact me anymore (laughs).
Defining soft skills with your zodiac sign is power (of course not!). There is no need for a lot of explanations, perhaps the recruiter was just in a cheerful mood and decided to joke, or … Although no, there are no “or”, such questions are a manifestation of unprofessionalism and we don’t ask them.
- I came for an interview, everything went well, many questions about technical skills and here bam! “How many cars does the train have?”. I didn’t even laugh, but just asked again – I heard everything correctly. A few seconds and I decided to make a joke: – What kind of train, New York – Lviv? My joke seems to be did not appreciate, they immediately asked the next question, I answered dryly and said goodbye to the recruiter. They did not contact me again.
The question of the number of carriages in electric trains, how to put it, is original. Some of the questions of our colleagues are simply amazing and we ourselves cannot understand their motives. So it happened with this question. Perhaps it was a joke, perhaps a test for analytics.
- There have been many interviews in my life, but this question still managed to surprise me – who do your parents work. Hmm, but why are my parents?! Anyway, this is bad manners. Imagine, you first see a person who should be interested in your hard and soft skills, and she or he asks about your parents … Hey! We are not familiar enough to talk about our parents. And not everyone has a smooth relationship with their parents, moreover, not everyone has parents. Such unprofessionalism can offend a person. I honestly answered the question that my mother is a housewife and my father is a welder. How this could have influenced their choice of a candidate is still a mystery to me. I was offered a job there, but I refused.
In general, personal questions at interviews about a candidate’s preferences, for example, or his or her hobbies are normal, but such personal questions are really unnecessary. Moreover, such non-technical interview questions can really offend a person or cause unpleasant memories – you never know the candidate’s life background. How this helps to understand the candidate is also a mystery. Such questions during an interview in our company are unacceptable.
Yes, sometimes candidates have to deal with such a concept as non-technical interview questions and about some of them you can definitely say “impossible to explain, but true!”. We find the best talent from all over the country to create cool innovative tech products together. Here you will definitely find vacancies for yourself, and our office will become your second home. Experts who are already working with us have shared their feedback, join our team too!
