The LandaJob Blog:
Expert Perspectives and Industry Trends

Another installment of advice to the joblorn, where questions are sometimes real, sometimes not – but try to imagine the ones we can’t print.

Dear Landa,

Thanks for “preparing” me for my interview with Wiley’s Widgets Worldwide. Boy, that turned out to be a waste of time! Oddly, they didn’t ask me any of the things you told me to prepare for—my background, my abilities or my reasons for wanting this position. Instead, here’s a recap of a few of the questions (and the responses that I now wish that I had given):

What kind of animal are you most like? (At the moment, a piranha.)

You’re a new addition to the crayon box; what color are you? (Not sure, but thinking you should be “Embarrassingly Red.”)

What was the biggest mistake you’ve made, professionally? (Um, agreeing to this interview?)

If hired, what changes would you make here? (Firing you and, more than likely, your boss.)

Where do you see yourself in, say, five years? (Anywhere but here!)

Signed,

Wigged Out By Wiley’s

Dear Wigged,

Oh my. Sounds like you met with a “new wave” interviewer. Some interviewers are now trained to ask edgy or confrontational questions to throw people off balance and to see how they will react in the moment. Some, sadly, seem to value how a candidate will fit within their culture over a person’s qualifications and potential contribution. Others do it simply because they don’t know any better.

So, chin up. You’ve been initiated into the world of weird and wacky interviews. You’ll probably have a few more before the end of your career. And, now you know that the interview is as much for you as for the company, to help you figure out if it’s the kind of place you want to work (or not!).

Signed,

Landa