I’ve interviewed many candidates. As an employer, we are subject to a myriad of off-limit questions imposed on us by the damn lawyers and federal labor laws. I am going to invest a lot of time and money into hiring, training and ultimately employing this person. I have to make sure he or she is qualified.
By asking these ‘mundane and senseless’ questions, the employer is able to gauge the candidate’s communication skills, hints at what their personality and work style is, and where their head is at. Someone who cannot speak extemporaneously about themself when they are given that five minutes to shine is generally not someone I want to work for me.
Marxism crept in the back window and took over the good sensibility of many. Don’t go making excuses for it.
You sound confused. What about these questions qualifies ANYONE for a particular job? The questions the Feds and your legal department prevent you asking have nothing to do with it either.
Performance-oriented companies like Amazon and Google and such ask questions like "How much would you charge to clean every window in Seattle?" That indicates analytical and verbal reasoning. It's a general question.
Stick to a conversation about the work to be done.
If you want a Psych screen use a MMPA-type test, and use or hire a psychologist to do his/her interview of subject. Stop with the group-think PC-ism feels-really-smart but meaningless questions already. Questions like: "What will you picture yourself doing in five years?" Or "What was your greatest accomplishment/failure?"
Late fix: “MMPI”, see http://psychology.about.com/od/psychologicaltesting/a/mmpi_2.htm