Top 10 Elite Job Interview Questions

There is an old guideline for good writing: “Show, don't tell.” What this means is that the best authors don't tell the reader information directly. They don't explicitly spell out what a character's personality is. Instead, they reveal information through dialogue, and place the character in situations where that character's morals and mindset can show through. Showing a character to readers is generally better than just dumping their personality on the reader. In many ways, the same is true of interviewing.

A skilled interviewer will get the interviewee talking about themselves in ways that reveal their abilities and disposition. This style of interviewing tells them more about the job applicant, and it's a much more honest picture, too. Asking an interviewee “What are your weaknesses?” will always earn you a canned speech, but getting them telling a story will often give insight into their work style and potential shortcomings. So, if better interviewing leads to better hires, it's no shock to learn that the world's elite companies ask some unusual, effective questions. Read on as we look at 10 of the top questions asked by companies that shape the world around us.

Questions are in reverse sequence order i.e. from 10 to 1.

No.10 What Do Wood And Alcohol Have In Common?

Company Name: Guardsmark

If you haven't heard of Guardsmark, they are major security company in the U.S. and UK. The role of a security officer is a complicated one: The officer has to sift through tons of information including visual information, and try to separate out anything suspicious. Questions like this one test the applicant's response time, intelligence level and how they tie together different threads of information. Finally, the way the applicant “sells” their comparison to the interviewer shows how well they interact with other people, which is key to being a successful security officer.

No.9 What Would You Do If You Just Inherited A Pizzeria From Your Uncle?

Company Name: Volkswagen

Volkswagen asks this to people applying for a business analyst position. Obviously, they are asking the interviewee to analyze a business on a small scale. What would the applicant do first? Review the financials? Inspect the facility? Put it up for sale? By asking the potential analyst to work through the problem of inheriting a pizzeria, they discover what the analyst considers the key aspects of a business' success or failure, and what they would do to influence that.

No.8 With Only The Hint "Higher" Or "Lower," What Is The Minimum Number Of Guesses Needed To Find A Number Between 1 & 1,000?

Company Name: Facebook

This question is used for applicants wanting to be a software engineer at Facebook. Once you know it's for a software position, this question is pretty straightforward. It tests problem solving and mathematical skills, and there is a right answer. Does the applicant try to “brute-force” solve the problem with pen and paper? Do they write a formula that outlines the math behind the question? How the interviewee sets out to solve the problem shows their work process, and their ability to create and code for a solution. You're asking the interviewee to think on their feet, but when hiring for a programmer, you don't want somebody to wing it. They should have the math needed to solve the problem.

No.7 How Many Golf Balls Can Fit In A School Bus?

Company Name: Google

Like several of the questions on this list, this question is not so much about the answer the applicant gives as the process they use to get there. By design, the question is meant to be difficult to answer. Virtually no applicant will know how much space there is inside a school bus, and the use of golf balls as a unit of measurement is designed to make the question harder. So, when they get thrown in at the deep end, how does the candidate respond? The path they take to arrive at an answer reveals a lot about their ability to think under pressure and to solve difficult problems when they don't have all the information.

No.6 Explain To Me What Has Happened In This Country In The Last 10 Years.

Company Name: Boston Consulting

Consulting is about communicating complex ideas in a simple way. This question gets interviewees to summarize events and present them to the listener -- something they will do a lot of in their work for the company. The way the applicant presents their summary to the interviewer shows how good they are at communicating, and swaying people to see things as the applicant sees them. Finally, you can learn a lot about the applicant by what they consider important from the last 10 years. This gives insight into their personality, outlook and even how attentive they are to the world around them.

No.5 How Would You Investigate A Technology Without Letting Anyone Know You Were Investigating It?

Company Name: Apple

A fitting question for Apple. A company as famous as Apple for secrecy wants to know its workers are capable of the same. Given Apple's current position as a leading tastemaker, they have a strong incentive to keep the competition off their trail for as long as possible, and thus gain an early lead on the race to their “next big thing.” Seeing how an individual worker would approach that problem gives Apple insight into the worker's thought process and creative thinking skills as well.

No.4 You Are Shrunk To The Size Of A Pencil And Put In A Glass Blender. The Blades Will Turn On In 60 Seconds. What Do You Do?

Company Name: Goldman Sachs

Investment Banking is a high-stakes industry, where the best laid plans can change in a millisecond. This question throws the interviewee into a very high-stakes, life-or-death situation that they (obviously) have no prior experience in dealing with. Interviewees' responses tell the interviewer a lot about their creative problem solving and ability to quickly analyze a situation. Finally, since the question is so absurd, it tests the interviewee's ability to “play along” even in circumstances that are way outside their comfort zone. This tells you whether the person is a “that's-not-in-my-job-description” type or if he or she is willing to do whatever it takes to get results.

No.3 Explain A Database To Your 8-Year-Old Nephew In Three Sentences.

Company Name: Google

Google has gained a reputation as a company that makes cutting-edge technology approachable, even to the least tech-savvy among us. Beginning with their roots as the internet's leading search engine, Google's M.O. is to provide us the information we need in a format that's understandable and relevant to our needs. By asking interviewees to explain a database, they ensure that the potential hire understands the tech concepts behind the work that they'll be doing. However, by asking them to explain it in three sentences, and in a way a child could understand, they also test the applicant's ability to turn this deep knowledge into something easily understood and used. That's Google's mission as a company, so it's important that individual workers possess that talent as well.

No.2 A Prototype Vending Machine Takes A $1 Bill And Gives $0.75 Of Product, But Isn't Giving

Change. What's Wrong With The System?Company Name: Apple

Another problem solving question. This asks the interviewee to think through an issue, decide what the likely cause or causes could be, and come up with a plan. Obviously, the question isn't meant to test what the interviewee knows about vending machines, but how they approach a problem when they don't know where to start.

A few answers: Put a quarter in the machine, then hit the change return button. If you don't get your quarter back, the change return is blocked. Or, try to buy a product using three quarters. If the machine does not vend, the machine has been incorrectly set to charge $1, and so was not giving change.

No.1 Why Are Manhole Covers Round?

Company Name: Microsoft, now used by Google and others

This classic has been asked since the days of Microsoft's rise to the top of the computer world. Since then, other companies like Google have taken to asking it as well. This fame (or infamy) is the reason it tops our list, but it's also a very good question that has been proven effective. This question is psychological, and tests how the interviewee approaches a question that: 1) Has more than one correct answer; and 2) Requires them to think on their feet. By watching how the interviewee arrives at an answer, draws in evidence to support their idea and “sells” it to the interviewer, they demonstrate their creativity, confidence and skills for persuasiveness.

A few answers: Responses range from the obvious “because manholes are round” to the practical “a round cover can be rolled, letting workers move it more easily.” What other solutions can you think of? Let us know