Unique Interviews

In any interview there is a chance you will come across an off the wall question that has nothing to do with your job or qualifications like, "How much water would it take to fill every swimming pool in the United States?"  Sometimes you will face aggressive interviewers that seem to attack you and your qualifications in an attempt to throw you off guard in a sort of "Stress Test Interview".  Finally you may face a situation where you are given a hypothetical professional situation and be asked to come up with a solution on the spot.  There is no real way to predict or even guarantee that it will happen, but when it does it can throw all your hard preparation down the drain if you crumble attempting to answer.

So how should you prepare yourself for these situations?  It is simply stated but harder to actually put into practice.  Keep your cool, ask pertinent questions and deliver an example of a thought process you would follow to find the solution.  If an interviewer is being aggressive and challenging you, be professional and answer the questions to the best of your ability.  To fill every pool in the United States discuss the process you would go through to find the answer in a calm and logical way.  To answer the hypothetical ask any questions necessary to get the information you need and attempt to present a solution.

You don't have to be exactly correct to ace these tough situations.  Employers don't expect you to know everything before you start, but they do expect you to keep your cool. 

For practice for responding to these non-traditional questions, please make an appointment with a Career Advisor.