STUPID interview questions, add yours here

[hoolahan]

I have been on about six interviews this month, and I am appalled at the stupidity of this process.

Does anyone at all think up original questions any more?

My last interview consisted of a woman, who couod not have been less bored w the process, asking me about 25 questions. She read straight from her little list that some HR analysts designed I supposed, and continuously interrupted by chatting to people who walked by her door.

Here were some of the questions...

Tell me about a time when someone questioned your integrity.

Tell me about a time when someone accused you of something you didn't do

Tell me about a time when you missed a deadline

Tell me about a time that you did something creative for a pt

and on and on, all starting w "Tell me about a time"...

I hated this whole style of questioning. It doesn't ask you how you handle that kind of a situation, but rather puts you on the spot to recall a specific experience that demonstrates what they are looking for.

I mean, I don't have the best memory, so I wouldn't mind these questions if they sent them to me the day before and asked me to write an essay on them. But to pull out an experience like this out of the thin air, it's just...stupid!! Not one personal question was asked like, Why are you interested in working 1 in this position, 2 for this company, etc...

One doctor said to me... "In this day of nursing shortages, you could write your own ticket so-to-speak, so why would you want this job? Later, what other positions have you interveiwed for if you don't mind me asking. Uh, I DO mind you asking, but do I say that??? Of course not, if I want the job, so I am forced to answer.

Another interview, three diff people, a HR person, then the supervisor, then the director, all came in and asked me the same exact set of questions from their little sheet of paper. Why couldn't they just ask me in a group,so they could all get the answers at once? Is this some kind of a stupid "test" to see if I am consistent?? How dull!

I don't like this cookie-cutter style of interviews. Very meaningless. Any recruiters out there? Can you explain the rationale? Don't you ever feel silly asking those stupid questions??

[deespoohbear]

One of the stupidest questions I have ever been asked during an interview was: If I were a bicycle, what part would I want to be?

WTF? If I were a bicycle, I sure wouldn't be applying for a nursing position, now would I? The funny thing was, this was in my current facility where I was interviewing for a position in another department. I didn't get the job, and I am glad.....

[luvbeinganurse]

Most of the time, I have not been asked foolish questions, but at one interview (and I did not get the job - didn't even want it after the interview), the nurse manager asked me, "Name the steps of the nursing process, and using them in the right order, what would you do with a patient who came in with a fever of unknown origin?" I hadn't even heard those terms since I graduated from nursing school, so I knew I was sunk right off the bat. I had a telemetry nurse friend who got a job on telemetry and in the unit at the same hospital, and she didn't have to answer any kind of questions like that during her interview. She told me she would have said, "Well, we may as well end this interview right now, because I'm not going to be able to answer that question." But I tried my best to muddle through it. I didn't hear back from her, but that was fine because I didn't want to work for her after that anyhow. SHEESH!

[Sleepyeyes]

Originally posted by jevans

Here's a good one---

If you were a vegetable. What would it be and why

Stupid or what

j

Look 'em dead in the eye and say, "Not what. Who. Who would I be?" then address the philodendron and ask, "Isn't that right, Baby?"

[sjoe]

wendy writes: ""tell me about the time you got so pi$$ed off at someone for asking silly quetsions and beat them sensless.."

Excellent. Most of this stuff is done under the guise of "seeing how a prospective employee will perform when uncomfortable/under stress/whatever." It's just another form of bullying and nothing more nor less than a flimsy excuse for some otherwise powerless bureaucrat to abuse a temporary position of power--at least the power to make someone feell uncomfortable and maybe fear them. (Like, for example, some DMV clerks.) It makes them feel powerful and important when their questions cause an interviewee to feel "off balance."

Recall how the student selected by your grade school teacher responded when asked to "take the names of people who talk" when the teacher was out of the room? You'd think she (usually) had just been appointed god.

The old saying has it right, "Power corrupts, absolute power corrupts absolutely."

[hoolahan, ASN, RN]

OMG, compard to some of you, my questions were good! A vegetable?? Good one about Barbie Wendy!! Quick witted yoou are! Me, I think up the "good comeback" abo9ut a half an hour later, on the way home!

I have a second interview at this place, this time w the supervisor, and I hope to God he doesn't ask these same stupid questions.

Here were mmore I remembered, not as bad, but still

Tell me what your co-workers would say about you. At least that one didn't have to make me recall a specific situation.

What five words would you use to describe yourself?

I really wanted to say some things that would shock them. But she was obviously so bored anyway, I don't think she would've really heard me.

What part of a bicycle??? Puh-leez!!!!!

[NurseWeasel]

Where I used to work they interviewed in panels. Imagine your shock when you show up for an interview and get herded into the room with 3-5 other interviewees who will sit across the table from 3-5 interviewers. Then you're subjected to taking turns answering the questions. YIKES!

Having been on both sides of that interview table I can say it's a really 'interesting' way of doing things. Really stressful for the interviewees, and educational for the interviewers. Not that it really helps to choose good employees out of the herd, but it's simply amazing to see how people react, and different people's interview styles.

Like someone said above, the interview in many cases seems to be a way of weeding out the obvious weirdos. I couldn't believe how many people didn't bother to follow instructions (by wearing jeans & holey t-shirts, or 'forgetting' paperwork) provided on the paperwork inviting them to interview, or how many people seemed totally unprepared for ANY type of question. And we didn't ask absurd questions, just the standard work experience ones. Those people made even the mediocre people stand out as desirable!

My advice when hit with one of these wacko questions is to try to remain calm, cool, and collected. Take a moment (but not TOO many moments) to think of an answer and just go with it. Don't try to read too much into it, but remember that you're trying to demonstrate that you can think and react under pressure.

Also don't be afraid to decline the job if they hassle you too much. Lots of times the interview DOES provide insight into the general atmosphere of the facility or management style. Ewww.

[mattsmom81]

I hate the 'what is your greatest weakness or worst fault' line of questions. Like they are seeing if we are really naive enough to expose our jugular to them.

[NurseWeasel]

Oh yeah... and this does reflect the fact that I worked for a state agency, but two really big turnoffs as responses are when people include a) their religious preferences or b) personal / family life situational information. The employer is not allowed to ask for this information, and quite honestly we'd rather not hear it. We wanted to know how good an EMPLOYEE you'd make.

For instance we'd ask a question about their experience dealing with stressful situations - requesting a response relating to WORK... and people would be seemingly unable to come up with a work situation and throw in some answer relating to the fact that they won't work on Sundays because that's their church day (which is FINE, it's a personal preference, but this job description AND application both clearly state that this job requires availability for ALL days and shifts... if that's not acceptable why did you apply?) or tell some story about their divorce and how they're the single parent of 14 children under the age of 4 (lol) and daycare may be an issue.

That type of information is best provided never... or at least not during the initial interview. If a job offer is made, the applicant should bring up those type of issues at that time and seek clarification before accepting employment. Auuugh. :)

Just trying to give some insight to the employer's side of things here, and help people who will be going through the interview process. Your mileage may vary.

[CardioTrans, BSN, RN]

The hospital that is affiliated with the home health agency that I work at uses those types of questions....... They call it "Target Selection" Usually the interviewee talks with a person representing the unit where they will be working and 2 people from somewhere else in the hospital....... highly stressful.....but not stupid questions like some that were posted here. When I interviewed for the management position I have now........ it was the 3 other members of management in the agency, with questions similar to target selection...like "How would you handle a nurse that yells at you saying 'We've never done it that way before'" or things like......... you are taking administrative call and a nurse calls you saying a family has called said this is going on with the patient and the nurse wants to know if she should make a visit or not......... The interview lasted almost 3 hrs with questions like this....... how would I handle certain situations......... How had I handled difficult situations in the past etc...........After the interview I found out that the "situations" they were asking me to handle had actually happened and the administrative person on call had not done the right thing.

I cant imagine what vegetable you would be like would have anything to do with a nursing position......lol

[hoolahan, ASN, RN]

Carsio, those kinds of questions are completely appropriate. I just wish everyone would use some common sense w these questions.

[CardioTrans, BSN, RN]

Hoolahan......... Oh I agree...... I thought they were very good questions........and I knew they were asking them to see how I would handle the management situations and to see if I would answer them correctly. I think that Target Selection is a great thing in certain situations and have to do with the position. And trust me........ some of the nurses have asked some doozies when Im administrative call.......lol......tis all part of the job...lol

[fab4fan]

I was once asked, "Is it ever OK to bend the truth?" The question took me really off guard, and I said, "I guess it depends on how badly you want to bend it."

Didn't get the job.