Why asking fun interview questions is important
While asking fun interview questions can be a great way to break the ice and get to know a candidate quickly, they can also be helpful in hiring the perfect match for your open position. Coming up with interesting interview questions doesn’t have to be difficult either.
After creating a list of typical and formal interview questions, consider the traits you hope to find in the ideal candidate that are specific to the position in question. For example, if you need someone who is good at problem-solving and math, you’ll want to create fun questions like how many pennies would it take to build a specific life-sized landmark.
When asking fun interview questions, ask the job candidate to explain their answers with “why” follow-ups questions as used in the Star interview method. This will show you how the interviewee arrived at their answer and help you get to know them better.
However, don’t hire a person solely based on their answers to your fun and interesting interview questions. You’ll want to use a combination of the Star method, behavioral answers and structured interview questions to find the right fit for your company. One way to reduce bias is to create a numeric scoring sheet so that you can rank candidates’ answers to fun interview questions against structured ones.
Problem-solving and fun questions for interviews
If you’re looking to hire someone with great problem-solving skills, it’s important to understand their thought process. By using interesting interview questions, you’ll be able to get a good idea of how a potential employee might approach a work-related problem or issue.
Here’s an example of a question you could use to get a better understanding of how a potential employee would go about approaching a problem or odd circumstance:
Would you rather be a dinosaur-sized turtle or try to outrun ten turtle-sized dinosaurs?
While the question sounds silly and may give your interview candidate a reason for pause, it’ll be sure to break the tension and give you insight into their problem-solving, reasoning and creative thinking skills. With no wrong answer, you’ll be able to assess how the potential employee reaches their conclusion and learn something about them along the way.
When considering the answer to this and other fun interview questions, pay attention to how your interviewee reacts to being caught off guard, processes the problem or situation and comes to their final answer or solution. Even a quick-witted retort may tell you that the candidate would add humor to your organization or to a customer service role.
Culture add and interesting interview questions
Workplace culture is becoming more important than ever. When interviewing potential candidates, it can be helpful to gauge whether a possible employee will add to your company’s culture.
When developing fun interview questions to get to know more about a potential employee’s values and what they can contribute to your workplace culture, consider your organization’s values. Whether you’re a forward-thinking company or social justice minded, it helps to have a handle on who might fit your company’s culture and values.
A few fun interview questions that might tell you about a potential employee’s culture add could include:
- Is it better to make a difference in the world or to benefit from a positive change in the world?
- Name a time you had a different belief than your colleagues or peers and how you handled it.
- If you could have one superpower, what would it be, and how would you use it in your position at our company?
Critical thinking and funny interview questions
In many positions like sales and banking, critical thinking and attention to detail are important. If you’re looking to determine whether a possible employee has the critical thinking and observation skills you need for your company, there are some fun and interesting interview questions that you can ask.
When developing a list of fun interview questions to assess critical thinking, try mixing in a few of the following. You might be surprised by how much you can learn about a potential candidate.
- How many rolls of quarters do you think it would take to build a five-story warehouse exterior? Talk out your thinking as you arrive at your answer.
- If you had 10 pizzas and 100 people to feed but only 70% of them could eat toppings, how many plain pizzas would you order to ensure that everyone ate? Explain your reasoning as you decide.
Process versus content when asking interesting interview questions
In the same way that you may want to use a numeric scoring system to compare candidates’ answers, it’s a good idea to think about process versus content when it comes to selecting funny interview questions to ask. That is, focus less on whether they got an answer right and more on how they got there. This will give you more information needed to make a hiring decision.
Maybe you asked a question that involved the use of mathematical skills and the candidate technically got the answer wrong. If math isn’t a skill that they need for the job but the way they got to their answer included logic, critical thinking or other skills needed for the position, they could still be a great fit. In short, a person’s way of thinking could hold more value than their ability to perform math in their head.
FAQs about funny questions to ask in an interview
How do I handle funny interview questions going wrong?
Because many potential employees are used to structured interviews with formal questions, there may be times when you catch an interviewee off guard and the situation becomes awkward. Even if they stumble and aren’t able to answer your question on the fly, you’ll be able to see how they handle themselves.
Consider the following when an interesting or unusual interview question doesn’t land as well as you hoped:
- Were they able to regain composure and focus on the rest of the interview?
- Did they ask for clarification?
- Did the question provoke an emotional response, such as anger or visible frustration, or were they able to move forward with the interview as planned?
- Are you looking for someone who’s good under pressure, or is this unnecessary for the position?
How do I spot a good fit based on interesting interview questions?
Regardless of whether a potential employee answered the questions well, responded favorably to pressure or asked their own funny interview questions in return, you’ll be sure to find a good match for your company if you consider the big picture. Focus on the tone of the interview as a whole and the skill set and experiences they bring to the table, and you’ll be heading for success with your new hire.
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