If they asked me this, I'd whip out my cell phone, hit '0', ask the operator for the NYC phone company, and ask. Betcha I just got hired.
that was the answer that was "so good" the interviewer didn't ask you the next one? What a the fact that the floors on top are much smaller than the bottom floors?
You wouldn't at least approximate the building as a cone? or a cone on a rectangle?
A lot of stupid questions is just to see how you carry yourself. If they ask a stupid question, intelligently answer as honest as you can.
freedomsbeat212:
> I totally bombed an interview because they asked some trendy, inane questions.. Anyone know of a site that preps you for "creative" questions? The first question was "What's your favorite section in the grocery store?" and "If you could be any animal what would it be and why?"
Maybe they were testing your tolerance for incompetence.
I'd love to be able to be in an interview like that, grab my resume off the guy's desk, say "I'm not going to work for someone who wastes my time like this," and leave. Stupid pointy-haired bosses.
> I totally bombed an interview because they asked some trendy, inane questions.. Anyone know of a site that preps you for "creative" questions? The first question was "What's your favorite section in the grocery store?" and "If you could be any animal what would it be and why?"
Maybe they were testing your tolerance for incompetence.
I'd love to be able to be in an interview like that, grab my resume off the guy's desk, say "I'm not going to work for someone who wastes my time like this," and leave. Stupid pointy-haired bosses.
So I emailed my interviewer this.. In retrospect it was a terrible idea.. Eh, I don't really care though.. I'll post the reply when she replies..
I'm the boss so I get to ask the questions. The best way to answer that kind of question is to give a straightforward, if dull, response and then take the answer sideways to something that is more interesting to you.
Example: my favorite section of the grocery store is (think a second) frozen pizza, but my favorite section of the hardware store is power tools - how about you?
The quarter one assumes some geometric knowledge, but it's much more interesting to think about the practical problems - how would you get all those quarters into the building, for example? Would the structure take the weight? Can you get a government grant to cover the expense? If you call it an art project can you get a zoning waiver? Etc.
I want to know that you can deal with stupidity, that you don't go all nuts, and that you have a brain of some sort.
I also want to know that you are not making a big deal out of this.
Example: my favorite section of the grocery store is (think a second) frozen pizza, but my favorite section of the hardware store is power tools - how about you?
The quarter one assumes some geometric knowledge, but it's much more interesting to think about the practical problems - how would you get all those quarters into the building, for example? Would the structure take the weight? Can you get a government grant to cover the expense? If you call it an art project can you get a zoning waiver? Etc.
I want to know that you can deal with stupidity, that you don't go all nuts, and that you have a brain of some sort.
I also want to know that you are not making a big deal out of this.
SagaLore
Elite Member
- Dec 18, 2001
- 24,036
- 21
- 81
Meat.
I would be a turtle. They have been know to live upwards to a 100 years, get to live generally solitary and peaceful lives, are very good at surviving without food and water for extended periods of time, and have a perfect defense system against attackers.
I think the point is that they didn't want to hear a scripted answer. Just answer how you feel, don't be a fake. Chances are THAT is what they were testing you on. Not on what animal you could be, but how calmy you answered the question.
SagaLore
Elite Member
- Dec 18, 2001
- 24,036
- 21
- 81
They're round so they don't fall in and it makes it easier for the crews to roll them out of the way. It's also cheaper to manufacture a round manhole because a circle is the most efficient shape for volume versus size. And it is safer for crews because there are no straight or sharp edges on the hole.
SagaLore
Elite Member
- Dec 18, 2001
- 24,036
- 21
- 81
I would have gotten the specification of the ventilation system and determined how much air is cycled through the building, and then use those total to work out an equation for volume and divide that by the square representation of a quarter since there are going to be overlap gaps.
I'm the boss too, and I also get to ask the questions. I ask questions about the potential employee's qualifications for the job he or she is applying for. I ask relevant questions about the potential employees previous jobs, to help me judge wether he or she has the experience necessary to work in the position I have available. I could care less if he or she can count the grains of sand in an hour glass, these questions are a bunch of BS.
alkemyst
No Lifer
- Feb 13, 2001
- 83,769
- 19
- 81
You just got yourself lumped into the morning discussion of "Glad we didn't hire this psycho" expect your email to be name-edited and circulated to a few of the interviewer's friends
.Your email also hints at a potential lawsuit over discrimination because of eating style, everyone is looking to sue when things don't go their way nowadays, so if that company is large and has a legal department, your name is now well known to them.
Never EVER follow up an interview with a flaming or 'why not me' email. Simply say thanks for the opportunity and I hope I am in consideration for future openings....
alkemyst
No Lifer
- Feb 13, 2001
- 83,769
- 19
- 81
Even a boss gets interviews. Also depending on what kind of job would warrant a no-BS answer versus a thinking type. Makes no sense to ask a burger flipper an analytical type question, his work is task oriented...however, take a designer where it's not always step 1, step 2, and then you can see if the person is capable of figuring things out or knowing where to get the answer.
Answering an interview question with, "I would look it up in this particular book" or "ask this person" are very suitable answers and sometimes exactly what they are looking for...esp in jobs where accuracy is more important than guessing. Many candidates think they know it all, these kinds of people can get the company in trouble.
sygyzy
Lifer
- Oct 21, 2000
- 14,001
- 4
- 76
The answer to the manhole cover question is that it gives the best support against the pressure of the earth because of its efficient design. The manhole itself is round and the cover is just a side effect of that.
If you guys want, I can give the more detailed answer.
If you guys want, I can give the more detailed answer.
Originally posted by: alkemyst
You just got yourself lumped into the morning discussion of "Glad we didn't hire this psycho" expect your email to be name-edited and circulated to a few of the interviewer's friends
Your email also hints at a potential lawsuit over discrimination because of eating style, everyone is looking to sue when things don't go their way nowadays, so if that company is large and has a legal department, your name is now well known to them.
Never EVER follow up an interview with a flaming or 'why not me' email. Simply say thanks for the opportunity and I hope I am in consideration for future openings....
Yep,
My girlfriend was about to slap me for sending that email out... She thought that I was joking...I know that it hinted at me suing them for discrimination - I did that on purpose.. I'm not going to sue (it would be an insanely pointless endeavor) but I thought that the idea was absurdly funny (gettting passed over for a job because they wanted vegans and not meat eaters). I doubt that I'll get a reply and I know that it was not professional but, God, did that feel good...
Those questions remind me of english class when we were supposed to write about "what the author of that poem meant." I always got an A because I came up with some BS answer that sounds good, that's exactly how you handle those interview questions. Chances are the people giving the interview and asking those questions don't know your specific skill set well enough to ask job-related questions in the first place, they are probably some HR employee who is there to filter out the bozos. So just come up with a clever answer and get through to the real interview about your skills and abilities.
Um, but if I was in an interview with my potential boss and those questions came up more than questions about my active directory experience or whatever, I would start to wonder.
Um, but if I was in an interview with my potential boss and those questions came up more than questions about my active directory experience or whatever, I would start to wonder.
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