What do you think of garden gnomes?
By Isaac Shaw
What do you do with an elephant you can’t give away?
Not a question many people have to answer in their lives, but something you may have to think about anyway!
You walk into the interview room and your nerves are through the roof, but there is solace in the fact that you’ve prepared answers to typical interview questions.
- What are your goals and aspirations?
- Where do you see yourself in 5 years?
Things are going well, but then you’re asked.
“What do you think of garden gnomes?”
| Increasingly we are coming to acknowledge that most skills can be taught, and it is soft skills that people are looking for. |
Ridiculous as they may seem, these types of questions are not all that uncommon. Top universities have used them for a long time and increasingly they are being used by corporations. The purpose is to gauge how you react to unexpected scenarios and see your thought processes. As well as get a glimpse at your personality, as traditional questions won’t let anyone know what you’re really like.
Potential employers ask these questions to see how you react to a situation that you haven’t rehearsed. Increasingly we are coming to acknowledge that most skills can be taught, and it is soft skills that people are looking for.
When an interviewer asks you what vegetable you are, they are not assessing your intellect; they are trying to move you to a place where you are not rehearsed. Unfortunately, much like school, the answer matters a lot less than how you arrived there; fortunately, there are no wrong answers, as these are used to see who you really are.
If it’s an interview for a creative position, your answer would likely be different to the question “what would your autobiography be called” compared to an analytic position.
Answer truthfully, and explain your reasoning, as that is what the interviewer is most interested in, you could for example say that fishing gnomes are cute, but you don’t trust people with just gnomes in their garden, especially the ones with smiles too big. Or maybe you just say that they’re too expensive to warrant having, or that you’d rather have pretty flowers.
The ability to think on your feet is the most important thing. Don’t panic, answer appropriately, and you’ll be stellar. And always remember, your interviewer needs a recruit, they aren’t trying to trick you they are trying to get to know you. So, be yourself and have fun!
Here are some examples of slightly left-field interview questions from the Just Recruitment team:
- If you were an animal – what would you be?
- What would your autobiography be called?
- If you had a choice between two superpowers, being invisible or flying, which would you choose and why?"
- What do you think of garden gnomes?
- How would you solve problems if you were from Mars?
- What should be engraved on your gravestone?
- Are you a gatherer or a hunter?
Now you know the kind of sneaky and silly questions employers will ask (as well as the more standard and boring ones) you’re well equipped to ace that interview, maybe even ask some weird questions of your own!
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Published: 6 February 2024
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