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Chris Despopoulos wrote:
At interview time, one question you should ask might be a puzzle of some sort. Not to see whether the person gets the right answer, but just to see the thought process. Or the classic unrelated, open question... A friend of mine always asked prospects how a toilet works. If the person simply didn't know, my friend assumed a lack of technical curiosity -- there's some merit in that. [snipped]
That part of your reply caught my attention. I completely disagree. I have plenty of technical curiosity about things that interest me. I simply don't care how a toilet works. I do, however, know how to ask questions and do research, so if I ever NEED to know how a toilet works, I can definitely (and quickly) find out. Isn't that a more important attribute, especially in our line of work?
I dislike the trend toward asking nonsensical questions in an interview just to see the reaction. Interviews are difficult enough. Throwing out a ludicrous question won't give you a true idea of how well the interviewee will respond once she or he is no longer worried about securing a paycheck. BTW, I do very well in interviews and I've managed similar questions without any problem, but I still think it's ridiculous.
Joyce Fetterman
PS I do know how a toilet works, but still...
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