Two Weird Interview Questions & Why to Ask ‘Em

June 23, 2023

Updated 10/26/2023

Hiring is hard. Because humans are weird. Yup. That’s my diagnosis.

In the past 18 years I’ve hired some amazing humans and some who shall not be named…ever…again…

When you’re meeting a stranger for the first time, it’s hard to gauge their true work ethic and culture. So, over the years I’ve dreamt up a few tried and true weird interview questions to pull back the curtain and get a glimpse of the real person behind the interview façade. (Aaaand I have Stacy stalk them on Facebook.)

What makes these questions special, you ask? 

Well, let’s just say they involve a little surprise, a lot of honesty, and a bit of a back story to translate the answers.

The back story.

Well…I went to school for agriculture. Did you know that? Yeah. 

I have a degree from the University of Missouri-Columbia in general agriculture: Agricultural Education, Plant Science and Agricultural Economics. None of which include HR, sales, or employee or business management. Nope. None of that. 

Started a business at 25…clueless.

When I started my business at the age of 25, I quickly realized I was going to have to sell things. I threw myself a lifeline and enrolled in Sandler Sales Training, which was amazing.

Business grew…I’m once again clueless.

Once I had business rolling in and started hiring folks I found myself out of my league again. I knew how to manage plants and animals…no clue how to hire and manage employees.

So I hitched up to the training wagon again enrolling in Sandler Leadership Training, a management training class. I sat with other managers and we figured out how to hire people, manage them and get the best results from our team. 

The weird, yet must ask, yielding activity that you must try.

I was tasked with making a list of what I really, really wanted out of the positions that I was hiring for. (Try it, it helps!) 

Start with what you want your new hire to do and then back your way up from that. 

• What skills do they need to do the assigned tasks?
• What traits should they have to make them successful at those tasks?
• What values do they need to fit in with your team?

Then think of questions that can help you uncover those traits in a human being. 

For example, one of the positions I’ve hired for many times over the years is project manager. A good project manager is detail oriented. Because they have to manage projects and keep track of a lot of different details. 

Hence Weird Interview Question #1 was born.

What’s in your car right now? 

Yeah. Is that the weirdest interview question ever? 

Alright, so take a second. Think about that question. 

How would you answer it? 

Would you say… 

1. Oh, it’s super clean. I just cleaned it the other day. 
2. It’s a total mess. There’s stuff everywhere. 
3. Car…um…I’m drawing a blank…what IS inside my car? Can I go look?

Okay, so if you answered it in one of those three ways, you, my friend, are not a detail oriented human. You did not pass the test. 

Would you say…

1. Well, I have to drive my kids around all the time, so the backseat is a mess, it’s filled with their toys. 
2. It’s kinda messy, there’s probably some food trash in there. 
3. I always have a water bottle. There’s some pens. 

Alright, so did you hear that?

Those answers qualify as somewhat detailed. People who answer the question with some details are usually a little bit big picture, but also medium detailed. 

Would you say…

• There is a red umbrella in the backseat. 
• I have a tire repair kit in the trunk, because my dad insists that I don’t go anywhere without one.
• There’s always a warm blanket in the trunk because I just don’t ever know when I’m going to need it. 

You win the details prize. You not only explained details about an item but you’re a person who’s thinking ahead. These things are in your car for a reason and you shared a story behind it. 

Okay, so try it. 

Ask people what’s in your car right now? 

• If they just come out completely blank, they’re probably super big picture, just like me. 
• If they give some general answers with big picture details, they’re in the middle. 
• If they start telling you what color things are, where they’re located, or stories about why it’s in the car – you’ve found yourself a detail oriented human!

On to the Weird Interview Question #2.

What is your LEAST favorite type of house work?

This baby helps me uncover if someone is motivated to follow repetitive or big picture processes and procedures. 

Some people love to follow a repetitive process. 

They almost can’t work without it. My husband is one of these people. I feel like an evil person as I watch him struggle to organize anything in our house. It’s so painful, because it’s overwhelming to him. Where will all those things go!?! 

Starting from scratch isn’t fun for him. (I however love it! Opposites attract you know!) But once he decides on a place for everything, he puts it back there every single time.  

As opposed to me…who will find a new place to put something every single time. I have no problem starting a process but my follow through when it comes to repetitive processes sucks. I find joy in change. 

Web designers are problem solving process followers.

For a lot of positions in my company, I need people that will follow a process from start to finish, and enjoy doing the same thing on repeat, even though it often yields different results. 

If you design websites, you have to enjoy the process of designing a website. Yes, it’s gonna look different than the last website, but it has to have all the same components. And you have to go through the same process to build it. If they do it differently every single time they’re never going to be efficient at their job. That’s not how efficiency works, right? 

Back to the question…

What is your least favorite type of housework? 

Okay, now let’s play the game again. Answer the question. What was the thing that popped into your head? 

Is your least favorite…

Laundry

Dishes

I am the worst at doing the laundry. I’m very big picture. Laundry is never finished, ever. I mean while I’m doing laundry I’m wearing clothes that are going to have to be washed. And I never remember to flip the laundry over. (My husband does most of the laundry at the house.) I am a big picture process person, repetition is not my jam.

If you’re a laundry or dish doer, you are not bothered by repetition. 

You’re not bothered by a repetitive process. You do it. You feel accomplished. And you’re great at getting something done. The follow through is there for you. You pass the repetitive process test. 

Is your least favorite…

Sweeping/Vacuuming/Mopping

Cleaning the Bathroom

These are tasks that you only have to do every so often (they’re my favorite type of housework), people who enjoy repetitive processes are less likely to enjoy these tasks. 

It’s not that I love cleaning the bathroom, it’s that it’s a project that I can start and finish and get it done and walk away from it. And I don’t have a continual cycle of other things to remember and do. It’s not a long term project. It’s a short term project. 

People whose least favorite task is cleaning the bathroom may be better at the follow through on repeat tasks in the workplace.

The people who hate laundry and dishes, like myself, aren’t necessarily people who won’t follow processes. We’re just not as motivated by smaller tasks on repeat.

I use a process to batch podcasts, build new marketing resources or guide people through our website building program. But then I get to move on to the next big thing, set them aside for a while, sort of like cleaning the bathroom.

That’s why the weird interview question yielding activity is so important.

You need to make sure that, first, you know what you need out of somebody. You don’t want to hire a bathroom cleaner to do dishes on repeat and demotivate them. They’ll get lazy and won’t do the job the way you want it done in the long run. 

So yeah, there you go. That’s it.

Once you have an answer, ask them WHY.

After you ask them, “what’s your least favorite type of housework?”, ask them why. 

They’ll probably tell you, “I just love to see this amazingly clean bathroom,” or, “I just find it comforting to fold the clothes.” Those answers also give you more insight into what type of a person they are. 

One last note…

Beware of your own tendencies.

I could have the most amazing interview with someone and really connect with them. But that doesn’t make them the right for a position. 

Back to the project manager example…

Interviewing a project manager (which I am NOT good at) is especially tricky for me because on DISC I’m an I, D. 

My “I” tendencies make me upbeat and people focused, change and spontaneity loving. 

My “D” tendencies make me want to get stuff done, not care how it gets done.

And that does not set me up as a natural project manager. 

Yes, a project manager needs to want to get things done but they also need to be willing to follow a process over and over again, to get great results. AND they have to be able to keep track of the details. 

Okay, so if I have an interview with a person, and I love them, connect with them, and I feel like they’re gonna be my best friend. Let’s be real…they’re probably actually not the right person for the job. 

They’re probably a big picture, optimistic human, who, when they get stressed out will have an absolute clutter bomb of a desk and not be able to keep track of any details under pressure. (That’s me 😬.)

You don’t want to make a hiring decision based on your emotional response to this human. Your ability to personally connect with them isn’t always what you need in the best candidate for a job. Sometimes it’s something else, like the ability to handle details or take people through a process. It all depends, right? 

Try these weird interview questions as icebreakers!

Try them in your next interview. They can also be really great icebreakers! Because they’re such weird interview questions, they can let people settle in and start talking!