Annie O'Keefe: Jobs - dealing with odd and awkward questions

Career agent Annie O'Keefe says timing is important when asking your current employer for a reference.

The days of the 'straight-forward' job interview are well and truly gone. It's no longer enough to practise those well-versed responses to standard interview questions about your experience, strengths and weaknesses. You need to be prepared to expect the unexpected!

Recruiting companies are increasingly opting to throw complete curve-balls into their line of questioning. By digging deeper, the goal is to fully understand what makes a candidate tick.

Technology giant, Google, takes the cake when it comes to tricky interview questions. From, "how many dogs, window panes or gas stations are there in the USA?," to "why are manholes round?"; questions are aimed at assessing quick thinking, analytics, evidence of a solution focus and the ability to keep up in a tech-orientated, super-fast environment.

Closer to home, we've noticed an emerging trend in NZ employers asking odd and sometimes bizarre interview questions, designed to see if the candidate is thinking on their feet. "If you were an animal, what animal would you be? If you could exist in any other time in history when would you choose? If you could be a character in a book, what character would you be?" - a taster of some of the tamer examples.

Unleash your imagination

There is obviously no right answer to questions like these, nor can you plan for them - but this is your chance to be creative and really impress with your inventiveness. What is required is for you to think fast, not get flustered, and try to think of something that represents your best attributes.

For example, when it comes to animals, do you exhibit the loyalty and friendliness of man's best friend, the solid work ethic of an ox, the cleverness and sociability of a chimp or the acute eyesight and attention of an eagle? Whatever your choice, try to choose an animal with generally positive connotations.

Accentuate the positives

Another popular interview tactic is to ask the interviewee to put themselves into someone else's headspace, such as: "If I was at a cocktail party and met a friend of yours how would they describe you?" By asking this question, we are trying to get you to let down your guard by describing yourself in a way you wouldn't typically.

The best way to tackle this is to focus on the positive attributes and strengths your friends see in you. Are you sociable, easy going, friendly, empathetic, loyal, or a good sounding board who can offer advice?

A key tip here is to never talk about things that don't relate to the job. Every job interview answer is another chance to sell yourself for the job...to reinforce the idea that you would be a great fit. Even with questions that seem non-job-related like this one, you can make your answer count.

Avoidance tactics

No list is complete without the downright awkward and uncomfortable questions that have no place in an interview, yet still seem to creep in and catch people unawares. For example, "How would you manage an entirely male team?" This gender biased question has no place in an interview, but if you find yourself faced with it, an effective way to manage a response is to ignore the comments concerning 'all about men' and focus on your leadership skills and successes.

Poorly managed questioning can also extend to age discrimination and interviewers getting too personal. As far as age is concerned, the best option is to keep the conversation focused on the strengths and skills you bring to the table.

Keep it on track

And when it all becomes too personal, again steer the conversation back to the position and your strengths. I recall one incident concerning a young woman being asked during an interview why her relationship with her boyfriend broke up. This was posed in a panel interview situation compromising of three General Managers and the 26 year old interviewee. To her credit, she did the right thing by keeping her answers friendly but focused on the job, without going into the details. This is definitely not a question anyone is obliged to answer, and in my opinion does not belong in an interview.

Crossing the line

If you are asked an inappropriate question regarding marital status or children, remember you always have the option to end the interview, or refuse to answer the question. It may be uncomfortable to do, but you need to be comfortable working at the company, and if the questions you are being asked during the interview are indicative of the company's policies, you may be better off finding out now.

Sometimes an interviewer will ask inappropriate questions accidentally, and in that case, you may choose to answer them politely, avoiding the substance of the question, but addressing the intent. A graceful way to tackle this is to say that you are able to perform all the duties the position entails, without going into further detail about your personal situation.

It's not unusual for interviews to go astray, so my advice when all else fails, is to remember that it's perfectly acceptable to respond to an inappropriate question with a question of your own; "Why do you ask?"

Annie O'Keefe, manages the Talentologist team at Frog Recruitment Ltd, specialising in permanent, contract and temporary portfolios across Accounting and Finance, Business Support Services, Human Resources, IT, Operations, Sales and Marketing. For more information see www.frogrecruitment.co.nz