I love this time of the year. You know why? Because it’s the holiday season? Well, of course, but there’s another reason.
This is when the “Worst Interview Questions of the Year”-type of lists start to pop up. That’s some gooood reading, right there.
And we have our first list! (Or the first list that I’ve come across, anyway.)
Said list is courtesy of Development Dimensions International, which surveyed more than 2,000 recently hired employees about unusual questions they had been asked during interviews. The results were, well, more than unusual, and they comprise “The Dumbest Interview Questions of 2012.”
Below is just a sampling of what I’m talking about:
- “Have you ever been to a disco?”
- “Do you have a bird?”
- “Do you whiten your teeth?”
- “Are you a Muslim?”
- “What leadership skills are required to cook a chicken?”
- “What would make you want to leave your husband?”
- “Have you ever had a sexually transmitted disease?”
- “If you would commit a crime, what would it be?”
- “Is there anyone else you would recommend for this position?”
- “Can you turn around?”
- “If you were a doughnut, what kind would you be?”
- “Are you willing to add some toxicity to your life?”
You can see a more comprehensive list of “The Dumbest Interview Questions of 2012” in this fine article by CNNMoney.com author Anne Fisher.
As you probably have already guessed, some of the questions on this list aren’t just dumb, they’re downright illegal.
Yet, every year, company officials ask questions like these during interviews, opening themselves up to potential lawsuits and providing seemingly endless entertainment for the masses. So enjoy these, and I’ll blog about more lists as I find them.
Happy holidays!
(What kind of unusual, crazy, or just plain dumb questions have company officials asked your candidates? Spill the beans. After all, ’tis the season!)