Copied and pasted the first 20 questions from
Top 25 Oddball Interview Questions For 2013 | Glassdoor Blog
Just for fun, my answers are in
BOLD
1. “If you were to get rid of one state in the US, which would it be and why?” –
view answers. Asked at
Forrester.
I would not get rid of 1 state because of the cost to redesign the flag, and produce and distribute the newer flag (with 49 stars). It would be wasteful.
I would however be very willing to reduce the number of US Senators by 2.
2. “How many cows are in Canada?” –
view answers. Asked at
Google.
Enough to eat the grass that grows in Canadian cattle ranch fields.
3. “How many quarters would you need to reach the height of the Empire State building?” –
view answers. Asked at
JetBlue.
It all depends on the current cost of admission to go up the ES building elevator. Whatever the cost is, round it up to the nearest multiple of 25 and divide by 4.
4. “A penguin walks through that door right now wearing a sombrero. What does he say and why is he here?” –
view
answers. Asked at
Clark Construction Group.
Penguins cannot survive without cold water. He would not be able to walk through any door unless we were in Antarctica. Any penguin walking, with a sombrero, and talking would have to be an animatronic device. In which case, he would only say what he was pre-programmed to say. I will guess "Hola".
5. “What songs best describes your work ethic?” –
view answers. Asked at
Dell.
Too many choices...I will select "Hard Days' Night" by the Beatles.
6. “Jeff Bezos walks into your office and says you can have a million dollars to launch your best entrepreneurial idea. What is it?” –
view answers. Asked at
Amazon.
May I borrow your computer to google "Jeff Bezos" ? Then I will answer.
7. “What do you think about when you are alone in your car?” –
view answers. Asked at
Gallup.
I think about the speed limit and traffic/weather conditions, and keep an eye out for drivers talking and/or texting on their cell phones.
8. “How would you rate your memory?” –
view answers. Asked at
Marriott.
Excellent memory. I'd like to add that I already answered this question. Don't you remember? (wink)
9. “Name 3 previous Nobel Prize Winners.” –
view answers. Asked at
BenefitsCONNECT.
Mahatma Ghandi
Mother Teresa
I will need to borrow your laptop again to come up with a 3rd recipient.
10. “Can you say: ’Peter Pepper Picked a Pickled Pepper’ and cross-sell a washing machine at the same time?” –
view answers. Asked at
MasterCard.
Only if I want to offend the customer.
11. “If we came to your house for dinner, what would you prepare for us?” –
view answers. Asked at
Trader Joe’s.
Whatever you requested beforehand. I would check ahead to make sure there are no food allergies or special dietary needs to consider.
12. “How would people communicate in a perfect world?” –
view answers. Asked at
Novell.
Frequently, clearly, and without malice.
13. “How do you make a tuna sandwich?” –
view answers. Asked at
Astron Consulting.
With lettuce, tomato, cheese and toasted bread. Open can, remove tuna, add mayonnaise, stir with a fork, spread on toast with a spatula, add condiments. Cut in half, place on a plate and serve immediately.
14. “My wife and I are going on vacation, where would you recommend?” –
view answers. Asked at
PricewaterhouseCoopers.
Wherever you can afford to go.
15. “You are a head chef at a restaurant and your team has been selected to be on Iron Chef. How do you prepare your team for the competition and how do you leverage the competition for your restaurant?” –
view answers. Asked at
Accenture.
I would rent (or download) a collection of past competitions and use them as training films.
16. “Estimate how many windows are in New York.” –
view answers. Asked at
Bain & Company.
Enough to allow people to work and live happily in their offices and residences.
17. “What’s your favorite song? Perform it for us now.” –
view answers. Asked at
LivingSocial.
Freebird, with air guitar movements.
18. “Calculate the angle of two clock pointers when time is 11:50.” –
view answers. Asked at
Bank of America.
A circle has 360 degrees. A clock measures time on a circular surface, and is divided into 60 marks (= 1 minute) on the clock face. Every minute mark equals 6 degrees. Therefore, 10 minutes = 12 degrees. However, the larger hand on the clock will not be pointing exactly at the numeral 12 at 11:50. So I will estimate the angle at 8-10 degrees.
19. “Have you ever stolen a pen from work?” –
view answers. Asked at
Jiffy Software.
No
20. “Pick two celebrities to be your parents.” –
view answers. Asked at
Urban Outfitters.
Sean Connery and Olivia De Havilland