As if job interviews weren’t stressful enough, some hiring managers seem to go out of their way to throw curveballs. The Five O’Clock Club, a nationwide network of career coaches and outplacement advisors, recently asked its affiliates and their clients for the most challenging interview questions they’d heard this year. Here’s a sampling of their answers:
“How much would you charge to wash all the windows in Seattle?” Brainteasers like this one are supposed to gauge your ability to reason your way through problems. Most people tackle these too literally by, for instance, getting bogged down in trying to estimate how many windows there are in Seattle. Instead, suggests the Five O’Clock Club report, think about what you’d charge for the work itself, “such as a fixed amount per window, or an hourly rate.” Whatever your answer, “be sure to explain your thought process” and the steps you took to get there. [Read More]
