Can you calculate how many tennis balls are used during the course of Wimbledon?
Can you estimate the total number of cars in the UK?
If so, you may have just helped yourself get a new job.
These are just two of the UK’s Top 10 Tough Interview Questions for 2015, among tens of thousands of interview questions shared by UK job candidates on Glassdoor, the jobs and career community, over the past year. This list features some of the most challenging, unexpected and odd questions job candidates should be prepared to answer during any job interview this year. With UK employment now at a record high, this list is designed to help job applicants stay one step ahead during today’s competitive interview process.
Joe Wiggins, Careers Trends Analyst at Glassdoor, who compiled the list, said: “Employers are often interested in this list as it shines a light into other companies’ interviewing processes, and allows them to consider challenging questions they might want to include in their own interview process to help determine better fit candidates.
“It’s up to each employer to determine what works best for their interview process. However, asking somewhat challenging and unexpected interview questions can provide further insight into how a job candidate thinks on their feet, goes about problem solving on the spot and thinks critically. If multiple job candidates have the same qualifications and experience on paper, it can also help determine which candidate may have better communication and critical thinking skills, which may help determine which candidate is a better fit.”
Top ten questions;
1 – “Can you calculate how many tennis balls are used during the course of Wimbledon?” – Asked at Accenture, Analyst candidate (London, England). More UK Accenture interview questions.
2 – “Estimate the total number of cars in the UK.” – Asked at Barclays Capital, Trading Analyst candidate (location n/a). More UK Barclays Capital interview questions.
3 – “How many calories are in a grocery store?” – Asked at Google, Product Manager candidate (London, England). More UK Google interview questions.
4 – “How would you sell a fridge to an Eskimo?” – Asked at Harrods, Temporary Sales Associate candidate (London, England). More UK Harrods interview questions.
5 – “What would you take to a lonely island with you and why?” – Asked at Urban Outfitters, Sales Assistant candidate (London, England). More UK Urban Outfitters interview questions.
6 – “Is Batman a superhero?” – Asked at AlphaSights, Support Engineer candidate (location n/a). More UK AlphaSights interview questions.
7 – “You have 17 red and 17 blue balls, and you remove 2 at a time. If the two are the same colour, add in one extra blue ball. If they are different colours, add in an extra red ball. What colour is the final ball removed?” – Asked at Geonomics, Software Engineer candidate (location n/a). More UK Geonomics interview questions.
8 – “What cartoon character would you be and why?” – Asked at ASDA, Administrative Assistant candidate (Bristol, England). More UK ASDA interview questions.
9 – “What is the wildest thing that you have done?” – Asked at Metro Bank, Teller candidate (London, England). More UK Metro Bank interview questions.
10 – “What was your opinion of the film Blair Witch Project?” – Asked at Jefferies & Company, Data Analyst candidate (London, England). More UK Jefferies & Company interview questions.