3 Examples of Challenging Job Interview Questions

In the past we’ve illustrated the way in which it is becoming easier and easier for job interview candidates to prepare answers to questions that might be asked by the potential hirer.
Prepared answers are still useful (presumably they’re based on truth, and someone that prepares answers is someone that took the time to prepare), but they’re not as valuable as hearing what someone says when they think on their feet.
That’s why you need to ask challenging interview questions – questions that throw them off of their preparation. Any question that hasn’t been asked before can be seen as a “challenging question,” but below are some examples of questions that would genuinely be hard for your applicants to answer.
Tough Interview Questions
What Are Your 3 Greatest Weaknesses?
Most people are prepared to answer the “Greatest Weakness” question, which was once a good question but has now become cliché. Most people put some variation of “I work too hard” which is not only useless, but also unlikely to be true. Yet the question is still a good one, because people are at their weakest when they’re trying to come up with an answer to that question. Asking them to come up with three ensures that any prepared answer is no longer valid, so that the individual really has to think to come up with good answers.
How Many Coffee Shops Are There Sydney?
Another great question is a question that can’t be reasonably answered. It’s unlikely that anyone has knowledge of the exact number of coffee shops in Sydney, Australia, or anywhere around the globe. What they have is their ability to think on their feet and problem solve. You can see how this type of question can be a real challenge, and one that will force the applicant to consider an answer that doesn’t make it sound as though they are stumbling.
Tell Me About a Time You Were Rude to a Customer
Behavioral interview questions are an underrated tool in today’s interview environment. The most common reason for this is that it’s often hard for even intelligent and thoughtful people to answer the question off of the top of their head. Not everyone has an answer to every question about their past at the ready. If you also ask a negative question about their past, you have the potential to really see how well they can handle this question and what kind of person they are.
Asking the Tougher Questions
It’s not your job to ensure that the applicant feels that your questions are fair or easy. It’s your job to make sure that you’re able to hire the best applicant for the position. To do that, you often need to ask some very tough questions – questions that even those that are prepared for an interview may not be able to handle. The above three are great examples of questions that often challenge the applicant, and should provide you with an answer that will help you learn more about them.
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