10 Unique interview questions to consider

The following are some great interview questions to consider asking candidates:

1. If there was a natural disaster and you were the last person on the planet, what would you do? How would you cope?

This question is intended to have the candidate consider how they’d respond in an unfamiliar situation. Asking this interesting interview question gives you insight into a candidate’s creative thinking and decision-making skills, specifically in unexpected circumstances. It may be particularly useful if the role requires working in an environment that changes quickly.

2. If you could live anywhere in the world, where would you choose and why?

With this question, you’ll learn more about a candidate’s personal preferences and what they value. You’ll hear how someone may behave when asked to make an important decision at work. This question may be useful for roles that require weighing various factors before coming to a conclusion.

3. When you leave here today, imagine that you win a large amount of money. What would you do?

This is an excellent question for determining a candidate’s motivations and personal attributes. Someone who would use a portion of their fortune to pursue their passions or help others may be highly ambitious or altruistic. A candidate who would prefer to travel and explore may be more adventurous and excited by new experiences. When asking this question, consider whether the personality traits and interests they reveal complement the role.

4. If you could be any animal for a day, which animal would you be and why?

Asking this unique question during an interview allows you to test a candidate’s ability to think quickly. Regardless of the animal that the candidate selects, they should use this question to highlight their positive traits. In addition to evaluating how fast they can formulate an astute response, asking this question will help you determine how they perceive themselves and whether their strengths will support company objectives.

5. How would your best friend describe you to other people?

This is an interesting interview question designed to provide a greater understanding of what candidates value about themselves and how they believe others perceive them. Consider whether they share both their strengths and weaknesses and the justifications for their answer. This will help you assess a candidate’s level of confidence and self-awareness, both of which are essential for excelling in any position.

6. Which do you love more—cats or dogs—and why?

Even for people who don’t have pets, this is an interesting interview question. When the candidate describes why they prefer one animal over the other, you’ll gain insight into what they value. Because the question is rather offbeat, it will also give you an opportunity to assess how flexible and resilient a candidate is. Someone who becomes flustered or seems annoyed by the unexpected direction of the conversation may be resistant to change or unable to adapt to a fast-paced or ever-changing work environment.

7. Tell me about a time you set a challenging goal for yourself. How did you strive to achieve it? Did you succeed?

While more serious than other unique interview questions on this list, this query is generally uncommon and can give you valuable information about a candidate. People accustomed to setting goals may be more productive and effective in their roles, especially if their positions involve multitasking or completing complex multistep assignments. Someone who pauses for a long time and seems to struggle to find a suitable example may be unaccustomed to setting goals. Also, consider the sort of plan that the candidate used. Was it logical? Did it show signs of problem-solving or creative thinking that may be beneficial in your open position?

8. Describe a professional or workplace experience that you hope to never repeat.

This serious but interesting interview question will allow you to get a feel for what type of work environment or job duties conflict with a candidate’s work style, personal values or skill set. Obviously, if a candidate describes something that they are likely to experience in your open position, they’re a less-than-ideal fit. Answers can also point to subtler incompatibility. For example, someone who didn’t like training a coworker may not be the best candidate for a senior role that involves serving as a resource to new hires.

9. Imagine I’m a prospective customer and sell this pen to me.

Remember this one as one of the best unique interview questions for sales positions. Candidates with high-level selling skills will quickly identify a few benefits of the item and point them out to you. Give them an objection and see how they try to overcome it, and pay attention to whether or not they try to close the sale. Feel free to choose any item that is readily accessible or bring something into the interview space to refer to, like a box of cereal or a throw pillow.

10. Describe this open position to a Martian who just landed outside the office.

Make this one of your last unique questions for the interview, and be sure to review the details of the position before you reach it. This way, you can assess the candidate’s listening and recall skills. Did they capture the essence of the job? If not, they may not have been listening or they may not fully understand what you’re looking for. You can also get a feel for their oral communication ability and how well they think on the fly from this interesting interview question. If the position involves making fast decisions, assess how quickly they come up with an answer.

When to ask unique interview questions

When you ask an interesting question or two is up to you. Some people prefer to ask unexpected great interview questions early on as icebreakers. Doing so may relax candidates before you get into the rest of the interview. You may also wish to mix unique interview questions with your other questions to keep the candidate engaged and interested. Another option is to save the unique interview questions and answers until the end and use them to conclude the conversation in a fun, positive way.

FAQs about unique interview questions

What are the most common interview questions?

Some questions that candidates will likely have answered before, or at least anticipate, include:

• What are your strengths and weaknesses?
• Where do you see yourself in X number of years?
• Why are you interested in this position?
• Why are you leaving your current employer?
• Tell me about yourself.
• Do you have any questions about the position or our company?

Related: 15 Behavioral Interview Questions to Ask Candidates

Why should you ask unique interview questions?

While asking conventional questions is important for assessing skills and talent, unique interview questions can help you uncover insights about candidates that you may not otherwise uncover. By asking more creative questions, you can gather plenty of helpful information to help you properly evaluate job seekers throughout the hiring process. Plus, an interesting interview question can make things more conversational, allowing candidates to feel more relaxed to give you a clearer picture of their personality. Great interview questions can also reflect positively on your company, indicating that you may provide a more exciting work environment or encourage creative thinking.

What shouldn’t you ask in an interview?

When compiling unique interview questions and answers, steer clear of anything that discusses race, gender, religion, age, sexual orientation or disability. These lines of thinking won’t set you up with great interview questions and could put you at risk for violating employee discrimination laws. To protect yourself and your company, have your HR representative and legal team review your interview questions, and strive to ask all candidates the same set of questions.

Related: Employment Discrimination Laws: Three Things to Avoid

How do you rate answers to unique interview questions?

An interesting interview question may yield unexpected answers or a wide range of answers that are difficult to compare to one another. When comparing candidates’ performance, think about how they reacted to the question, how willing they were to answer, how honest they seemed in their replies and how well they were able to construct a response. If you use an interview scoring sheet, make sure to provide places for you to record this information for all of the unique interview questions that you ask.