(MCT)—Enter “dumb interview questions” in a search engine, and you can spend hours reading examples from job hunters and human resource professionals alike.
The interesting thing is not everyone agrees what questions are stupid.
Some interviewers ask, “If you were a tree/cookie/animal, what would you be?” They say the answer gives insight into candidates’ creativity and ability to think on their feet.
Others think that question deserves a response like, “What relevance does that have to the job? I’d rather respond to a real job-related problem.”
Another question that earns derision is, “What is your greatest weakness?” Some people think the safe-harbor answer is, “I’m a workaholic/perfectionist.” Who could argue against someone who works hard and pays attention to detail?
Others say that’s a no-win answer. Ditto with claiming no weaknesses. Better, perhaps, to say, “I can be brutally honest, and that’s a question you’ll never get an honest answer to.”
