10 Uncommon Questions That Shocked Candidates in Job Interviews

Job interviews are usually filled with the typical questions: “Where do you see yourself in five years?” or “What are your strengths and weaknesses?” But every now and then, candidates are thrown a curveball that leaves them scratching their heads. From the amusing to the downright bizarre, these uncommon interview questions reveal just how creative (or eccentric) hiring managers can get.

• At an interview that was going well, my potential boss hit me with one final question: “Can you show me the last 5 pics on your phone?” He said it was for a personality check. Nervous, I opened my gallery, and 1^st thing to pop up was a topless photo of my boyfriend wearing a headband. Suddenly, his eyes lit up and in a serious tone, asked, “Does your man wear a headband because you’ve cropped his ears?”
  For a moment, I froze, unsure if he was joking or testing me. Realizing it was all in good humor, I managed to respond with a shy smile, keeping my composure. It turned out the question was indeed a test—to see if I had a sense of humor or if I’d react defensively. Thankfully, I passed. And yes, I got the job!

• I had an interview where they silently gave me a questionnaire to fill out for 50 questions and just went to another room. The questions were very detailed and stupid, mostly about money. “Is your goal to make money in our company?” (If the answer is ‘yes’, then you didn’t pass.)
  I left before I finished answering this list. I found out later that they register employees for an incredibly low official salary, promising to pay most of it at the end of the month, but they delay money for 6 months and don’t give it out if the person quits. I’m glad I left. © Lina_Grapes / Reddit

• During a job interview, the employer asked me, “What’s the exact time and geolocation of your birth?” At first, I laughed nervously, thinking it was a joke, but their expression told me they were dead serious. Curious but confused, I gave them the details as best as I could recall.
  To my surprise, they then launched into a lengthy explanation about why this information was critical to understanding my personality type. For the next thirty minutes, they spoke with intense enthusiasm about astrological charts, planetary alignments, and how these factors supposedly influenced my work ethic and compatibility with their team.

• One time, I went to a job interview for a secretary position, feeling confident about my qualifications. The interviewer started with the usual questions, asking about my background and education. I proudly mentioned that I had an advanced degree, thinking it would reflect well on my abilities and commitment to excellence.
  Their response, however, completely took me by surprise. With a polite but firm tone, they said, “We don’t need a really smart secretary.” For a moment, I was stunned, unsure of how to react. Was that supposed to be a compliment or a rejection wrapped in an insult?

• I got told I was going to interview over chat, which turned out to be with an “AI chatbot”, not an actual person. The chatbot asked me 30+ questions, and I answered them all with a fair amount of detail. Afterward, I received an email that had an analysis of all my answers and what it told them about my personality, etc. Their analysis was complete garbage, and clearly seemed to work off trigger words rather than actual analysis of the entire response. They noted at the end of the document that it was the analysis and not my responses that would be sent to the company that was looking to fill the role... © villan / Reddit

• At an interview to be a county street sweeper, the guy asks me if I have a girlfriend, and rants for 5 minutes how young people don’t get married anymore. Then he asks me what I want to avoid on the job. I had no idea how to answer. So I asked him to clarify, to which he just repeated the question, over and over until he got angry that I didn’t know how to answer that, then asked me to leave. © forgotmyfirstname** / Reddit

• “If you were a tree, what kind of tree would you be?” I was interviewing for an analyst position so I went for a “decision tree”. I got the job. © ntlslayer95 / Reddit

• At an interview for a tech startup, they asked me, “If you could be any animal, what would you be?” I answered, “Otter, because they’re fun, active, work well with their hands, and cute.” They debated whether or not to hire me because of my answer, because, “We only hire predators, never prey.” © rileysweeney / Reddit

• I once went to a job interview for an administrator role at a tattoo salon. During the meeting, the HR manager asked me to show him my Instagram handle. Without overthinking, I handed him my phone, assuming he just wanted to check my profile name. Instead, he started scrolling through my posts, examining my photos, and even paying attention to the number of likes each one had. At one point, he looked up and asked, “Why do some of your pictures have fewer likes than others?” As though that was somehow relevant to the job.

• While at college, I interviewed for a job in a sportswear shop. They asked me, “What’s your biggest weakness?” For some reason, I replied, “Sausage rolls!” I didn’t get the job. © GeekyStevie / Reddit

Unforeseen moments during interviews don’t always result in disappointment or stress. Occasionally, they pave the way for success and remarkable job opportunities.