The lighter side: Top oddball interview questions

If you’re looking for inspiration for some quirky questions to liven up your interview process look no further than this organisation’s annual list of Oddball Interview Questions.

Some of the most well-known and biggest companies in the world are renowned for throwing in the odd quirky question when recruiting their next employee, but how out-there do their questions get? Jobs and career community site Glassdoor has once again sifted through tens of thousands questions shared by job candidates over the past year to compile its annual list of the Top 25 Oddball Interview Questions.

According to its findings the top 25 oddest questions asked are:
  1. "If you could throw a parade of any calibre through the Zappos office what type of parade would it be?"  (Asked at The Zappos Family)
  2. "How lucky are you and why?" (Asked at Airbnb)
  3. "If you were a pizza deliveryman how would you benefit from scissors?" (Asked at Apple)
  4. "If you could sing one song on American Idol, what would it be?" (Asked at Red Frog Events)
  5. "Are you more of a hunter or a gatherer ?" (Asked at Dell)
  6. "If you were on an island and could only bring 3 things, what would you bring?" (Asked at Yahoo)
  7. "If you were a box of cereal, what would you be and why?"( Asked at Bed Bath & Beyond)
  8. "Do you believe in Big Foot?" (Asked at Norwegian Cruise Line)
  9. "Why is a tennis ball fuzzy?" (Asked at Xerox)
  10. "What is your least favourite thing about humanity?" (Asked at ZocDoc).
  11. "How would you use Yelp to find the number of businesses in the US?" (Asked at Factual)
  12. "How honest are you?" (Asked at Allied Telesis)
  13. "How many square feet of pizza is eaten in the US each year?" (Asked at Goldman Sachs)
  14. "Can you instruct someone how to make an origami "cootie catcher" with just words?" (Asked at LivingSocial)
  15. "If you were 80 years old, what would you tell your children?" (Asked at McKinsey & Company)
  16. "You're a new addition to the crayon box, what colour would you be and why?" (Asked at Urban Outfitters)_
  17. "How does the internet work?" (Asked at Akamai)
  18. "If there was a movie produced about your life, who would play you, and why?" (Asked at SinglePlatform)
  19. "What's the colour of money???...." (Asked at American Heart Association)
  20. "What was the last gift you gave someone?" (Asked at Gallup)
  21. "What is the funniest thing that has happened to you recently?" (Asked at Applebee's)
  22. "How many snow shovels sold in the US last year?" (Asked at TASER)
  23. "It’s Thursday, we’re staffing you on a telecommunications project in Calgary, Canada on Monday. Your flight and hotel are booked; your visa is ready. What are the top five things you do before you leave?" (Asked at ThoughtWorks)
  24. "Describe to me the process and benefits of wearing a seatbelt." (Asked at Active Network)
  25. "Have you ever been on a boat? (Creative Open-ended question)" (Asked at Applied Systems) 

Recent articles & video

'Unpaid' worker claims constructive dismissal

Manager wins over $22,000 for unjustified disadvantage, dismissal

How criminal charges impact employment investigations

New Zealand employers ready to pay more for employees with AI skills

Most Read Articles

Recap: Winners of the 2024 HRD Awards New Zealand

Best practice for handling fixed-term agreements in New Zealand

Couple to pay over $94,000 for wage violations