Free Republic
Browse · Search
General/Chat
Topics · Post Article

Skip to comments.

20 Craziest Job Interview Questions and the Right Answers
MoneyWatch ^ | May 30, 2011 | Lynn O'Shaughnessy

Posted on 08/05/2011 10:53:16 AM PDT by Slings and Arrows

Nobody has to tell you that it’s a rough job market. So when you do finagle a job interview, you’ll want to shine.

-snip-

Procter & Gamble: Sell me an invisible pen.

Facebook: Twenty five racehorses, no stopwatch, five tracks. Figure out the top three fastest horses in the fewest number of races.

Citigroup: What is your strategy at table tennis?

Google: You are climbing a staircase. Each time you can either take one step or two. The staircase has n steps. In how many distinct ways can you climb the staircase?

Capital One: How do you evaluate Subway’s five-foot long sub policy?

Gryphon Scientific: How many cocktail umbrellas are there in a given time in the United States?

Enterprise Rent-A-Car: Would you be okay hearing “no” from seven out of 10 customers.

Goldman Sachs: Suppose you had eight identical balls. One of them is slightly heavier and you are given a balance scale. What’s the fewest number of times you have to use the scale to find the heavier ball?

Towers Watson: Estimate how many planes are there in the sky.

Lubin Lawrence: If you could describe Hershey, Godiva and Dove chocolate as people, how would you describe them?

Pottery Barn: If I was a genie and could give you your dream job, what and where would it be?

Kiewit Corp.: What did you play with as a child?

VWR International: How would you market a telescope in 1750 when no one knows about orbits, moons etc.

Diageo North America: If you walk into a liquor store to count the unsold bottles, but the clerk is screaming at you to leave, what do you do?

Brown & Brown Insurance: How would you rate your life on a scale of 1 to 10?

(Excerpt) Read more at moneywatch.bnet.com ...


TOPICS: Business/Economy; Humor; Weird Stuff
KEYWORDS: napl
Navigation: use the links below to view more comments.
first previous 1-20 ... 81-100101-120121-140 ... 201-205 next last
To: Pete

Well done.


101 posted on 08/05/2011 12:02:34 PM PDT by BenKenobi (Honkeys for Herman!)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 21 | View Replies]

To: AFreeBird

It is an invalid question. Good catch. A lot of these questions remind of the interview question I was once aseked... Why are manhole covers round? (I got it right.)


102 posted on 08/05/2011 12:02:49 PM PDT by VA_Gentleman ("Poor Al Gore. Global warming completely debunked via the very internet you invented." -Jon Stewart)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 70 | View Replies]

To: Pessimist
Regarding the question:Suppose you had eight identical balls. One of them is slightly heavier and you are given a balance scale. What’s the fewest number of times you have to use the scale to find the heavier ball?

That’s what I said when I saw this the other week too. But it’s “2”. IIRC, You put 3 balls on one scale , 3 ont he other and leave 2 on the floor. If the scales balance, the heavy one is on the floor and can be found in one more weighing. If the scales don’t balance, you take the balls of theavy side and put one on each side and one on the floor. Again, if they balance, the heavy one is on the floor. Otherwise the scale shows you where it is. Pretty neat,

That is simply marvelous!

103 posted on 08/05/2011 12:04:03 PM PDT by Finny ("Raise hell. Vote smart." -- Ted Nugent)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 26 | View Replies]

To: ShadowAce

5 tracks.


104 posted on 08/05/2011 12:05:55 PM PDT by Truthsearcher
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 98 | View Replies]

To: Finny

only once, read my #63.


105 posted on 08/05/2011 12:06:19 PM PDT by eastforker
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 103 | View Replies]

To: Truthsearcher

abcde a wins

fghij

klmno

pqrst

uvwxy

afkpu, a wins, f second, k third.

fkbcg would give you the answer.


106 posted on 08/05/2011 12:07:09 PM PDT by BenKenobi (Honkeys for Herman!)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 79 | View Replies]

To: jurroppi1

All of the eight balls appear identical in size and they all weigh the same... except one. And that one ball is slightly heavier than the other 7.

Now, using a balance scale, a scale that has no numbers indicating weight, consisting of two plates weighing one side against the other, how many times do you have to use the scale to find out which of the eight balls is the heavier one?

Does that make the question clearer?

I’m thinking 3...

Split 8 in half and weigh.
Split the heavier group of 4 in half and weigh.
Split the remaining two and weigh.


107 posted on 08/05/2011 12:08:17 PM PDT by Hatteras
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 76 | View Replies]

To: taxcontrol
What is the smallest number divisible by 225 that consists of all 1’s and 0’s?

-11111111111111111...

108 posted on 08/05/2011 12:09:32 PM PDT by So Cal Rocket (Task 1: Accomplished, Task 2: Hold them Accountable!)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 53 | View Replies]

To: So Cal Rocket

There are 10 kinds of people, those who know binary, and those who don’t.


109 posted on 08/05/2011 12:10:18 PM PDT by dfwgator
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 108 | View Replies]

To: eastforker

Interesting that works too.


110 posted on 08/05/2011 12:12:53 PM PDT by BenKenobi (Honkeys for Herman!)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 63 | View Replies]

To: taxcontrol

11,111,111,100

First I figured it must be a multiple of 900 seeing as how that’s the first multiple of 225 that gets you zeros in the ones and tens digits. Now the trick with 9 (who cares about the zeros now) is that any number divisible by nine must have its digits add up to a multiple of 9. You only have ones and zeros so you’ll need 9 ones. Hence you get nine ones followed by two zeros.

Then I checked and it is a multiple of 225 however I can not prove it is the smallest.


111 posted on 08/05/2011 12:13:27 PM PDT by the_devils_advocate_666
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 53 | View Replies]

To: Slings and Arrows

I did go for the Procter and Gamble interview, including the most usual test I’ve been to...literally a group test where we had to stare at an origami at the table.

Staring at an origami figure on a desk. That was just part 1 of P & G’s test, back in 2007 after university.


112 posted on 08/05/2011 12:15:10 PM PDT by max americana (FUBO NATION 2012 FK BARAK)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: BenKenobi

right, 7 races.


113 posted on 08/05/2011 12:15:39 PM PDT by Truthsearcher
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 106 | View Replies]

To: jurroppi1

Thanks for the link, it verified my thinking I posted in, oddly enough, post 111.


114 posted on 08/05/2011 12:16:45 PM PDT by the_devils_advocate_666
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 92 | View Replies]

To: VA_Gentleman
Why are manhole covers round?

Otherwise they'd be able to fall through the hole they are covering.

115 posted on 08/05/2011 12:18:29 PM PDT by the_devils_advocate_666
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 102 | View Replies]

To: muir_redwoods
"Woodstovk"

That's in Russia, right?

116 posted on 08/05/2011 12:18:43 PM PDT by FroggyTheGremlim (Democrats: the Party of NO!)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 93 | View Replies]

To: taxcontrol
Win the longitude prize and win £20,000. Don't trust those crazy chornographs - telecopic observation is the only way to figure out where you are. GPS? This is the 18th century, not some insane science fiction world with flying carriages.
117 posted on 08/05/2011 12:19:42 PM PDT by KarlInOhio (The Repubs and Dems are arguing whether to pour 9 or 10 buckets of gasoline on a burning house.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 56 | View Replies]

To: Truthsearcher

Extra information not needed. :)


118 posted on 08/05/2011 12:19:46 PM PDT by ShadowAce (Linux -- The Ultimate Windows Service Pack)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 104 | View Replies]

To: Pete; glock rocks; tubebender; humblegunner

It’s one, go into the bathroom and see which one hangs the lowest!

More than than and your playing with yourself...


119 posted on 08/05/2011 12:22:31 PM PDT by Pete-R-Bilt (If more is better, too much is just right!)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 24 | View Replies]

To: AFreeBird

It’s an invalid question. If the balls are said to be “identical” then one cannot be heavier than all the rest.

Winner! Winner! Chicken dinner! You get the job. When can you start?


120 posted on 08/05/2011 12:23:48 PM PDT by KingLudd
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 70 | View Replies]


Navigation: use the links below to view more comments.
first previous 1-20 ... 81-100101-120121-140 ... 201-205 next last

Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.

Free Republic
Browse · Search
General/Chat
Topics · Post Article

FreeRepublic, LLC, PO BOX 9771, FRESNO, CA 93794
FreeRepublic.com is powered by software copyright 2000-2008 John Robinson