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The Top 10 Strangest Interview Questions

Plus tips on how to answer them


Kristen Felicetti


HR manager and an applicant in a job interview

When you go into an interview, you probably have answers ready for "tell me about yourself" or "why do you want to work at this company?", but do you have an answer for "what is your favorite Disney Princess?" What about who would win in a fight between Spiderman and Batman? Or would you know the answer to this puzzle: how many people flew out of Chicago last year?

Glassdoor released their list of Top 10 Oddball Interview Questions for 2015 and some of those strange questions were actually asked by hiring managers and interviewers at Stanford University, Coldstone Creamery, Airbnb, and other desirable places to work.

So why are companies in almost every industry asking these strange questions? They may seem random, but they have a definite purpose.

"The reasons why companies ask these challenging, weird, brainteaser questions are simple," explains Scott Dobroski, Glassdoor Career Trends Analyst. "To test a candidate's critical thinking skills, to see how they problem solve on the spot, and as one extra way to help differentiate one candidate from another candidate. If you have two candidates that are virtually identical on paper, asking them really tough questions can be one way to figure out who is a better critical thinker."

Now we know why companies are asking these questions, but what is the right way to answer them? Dobroski says that the worst way to answer is to say "I don't know" or give a one-word response. OK, so maybe you have an elaborate, analytical answer for why Batman would beat Spiderman in a fight, but how are you supposed to know how many people flew out of Chicago last year? Once again, don't say "I don't know" or throw out a wild guess.

"Even if you don't know the exact answer, what you want to do is start sounding out how you would come to the solution. Start saying how you would tackle the challenge out loud, so they can see your thinking skills," says Dobroski.

So in the case of the Chicago airport puzzle, ask the interviewer what kind of resources you would have to figure out the answer. Verbalize out loud how if the internet was an available resource, you would look up how many planes fly out of Chicago O'Hare Airport a day, or whether the airport had statistics available online, and what kind of statistics you would be looking for.

Speaking of the internet, in this day and age, there's no excuse for not doing your research on a potential employer. For many companies, a simple search might reveal the type of questions you could be asked, or what kind of setting the interview will be taking place.

So check out the list of Glassdoor's Top 10 Oddball Interview Questions, as well as their Top 10 Oddball Interview Questions in Tech. If you have a big job interview coming up, practice them out loud with your friends and family. Even if your interviewers don't ask you for your favorite 90s jam, you'll be warming up your brain and mind. And if they do, you'll be ready.

Top 10 Oddball Interview Questions for 2015 – U.S.

1. "What would you do if you were the one survivor in a plane crash?" – Airbnb Trust and Safety Investigator job candidate (Portland, OR). More Airbnb interview questions.

2. "What's your favorite 90s jam?" – Squarespace Customer Care job candidate (Portland, OR). More Squarespace interview questions.

3. "If you woke up and had 2,000 unread emails and could only answer 300 of them, how would you choose which ones to answer?" – Dropbox Rotation Program job candidate (location n/a). More Dropbox interview questions.

4. "Who would win in a fight between Spiderman and Batman?" – Stanford University Medical Simulationist job candidate (Palo Alto, CA). More Stanford University interview questions.

5. "If you had a machine that produced $100 dollars for life, what would you be willing to pay for it today?" – Aksia Research Analyst job candidate (New York, NY). More Aksia interview questions.

6. "What did you have for breakfast?" – Banana Republic Sales Associate job candidate (New York, NY). More Banana Republic interview questions.

7. "Describe the color yellow to somebody who's blind." – Spirit Airlines Flight Attendant job candidate (Fort Lauderdale, FL). More Spirit Airlines interview questions.

8. "If you were asked to unload a 747 full of jellybeans, what would you do?" – Bose IT Support Manager job candidate (Framingham, MA). More Bose interview questions.

9. "How many people flew out of Chicago last year?" – Redbox Software Engineer II job candidate (Oakbrook Terrace, IL). More Redbox interview questions.

10. "What's your favorite Disney Princess?" – Coldstone Creamery Crew Member job candidate (Miami, FL). More Coldstone Creamery interview questions.

Top 10 Oddball Interview Questions in Tech
1. "What would you do if you were the one survivor in a plane crash?"­ Airbnb Trust and Safety Investigator job candidate (Portland, OR). More Airbnb interview questions.

2. "What's your favorite 90s jam?" ­ Squarespace Customer Care job candidate (Portland, OR). More Squarespace interview questions.

3. "If you woke up and had 2,000 unread emails and could only answer 300 of them, how would you choose which ones to answer?" ­ Dropbox Rotation Program job candidate (location n/a). More Dropbox interview questions.

4. "How many people flew out of Chicago last year?²" ­ Redbox Software Engineer II job candidate (Oakbrook Terrace, IL). More Redbox interview questions.

5. "How much do you charge to wash every window in Seattle?" ­ Facebook Online Sales Operations job candidate (Chicago, IL). More Facebook interview questions.

6. "Given 25 swimmers and a pool with five lanes, what is the minimum number of heats needed to determine the three fastest swimmers in the group?" ­ CKM Advisors Data Scientist job candidate (location n/a). More CKM Advisors interview questions.

7. "If you were a Muppet, which would you be?" ­ TicketNetwork Executive Support job candidate (location n/a). More TicketNetwork interview questions.

8. "How many gas stations are there in America?" ­ Zappos Family Senior Financial Analyst job candidate (location n/a). More Zappos Family interview questions.

9. "You have a 1 mile long x 1 mile wide private island that you wish to turn into a resort. A plane requires a 2-mile long runway to take off. What do you do?" ­ Riot Games QA Analyst job candidate (location n/a). More Riot Games interview questions.
10. "Why is the earth round?" ­ Twitter Software Engineer job candidate (location n/a). More Twitter interview questions.      

10 Jobs That Pay Good

Do’s and don’ts for successfully negotiating your salary




DO get the most you can, and DON'T forget to do your research. Here's how.
You wrote a killer resume. The interview process went off without a hitch. You can feel it: A job offer is coming your way. This is great news, but before you start planning your new commute, there are some final steps to getting the job that you're going to want to focus on—and they all involve salary.

Negotiating your salary offer can be stressful, and you may be worried about turning off the employer by an unknowingly unreasonable salary requirement. Here's what you need to do—and don't need to—when negotiating your salary.

DO research beforehand
You may have a number in your head that you'd like to make, but basing your ideal paycheck on hard facts, such as industry standards, company billings and the availability of quality candidates for that role will get you further in negotiation talks. Cheryl E. Palmer, certified career coach and owner of Call to Career, says, "Employers generally have a range in mind for what they intend to pay a new hire. Job seekers need to do their salary research […] so that they go into the negotiation process knowing what the market will bear."
Begin your research process by accessing resources like the Bureau of Labor Statistics' Occupational Outlook Handbook or CareerBuilder Salary Calculator. You'll learn about salary trends, certifications that can get you higher earning power and how competitive positions are in the current market.

DON'T be the first to bring up salary talks
"Whoever mentions salary first loses," Palmer says. "Generally speaking, once one side—either the job seeker or the employer—mentions a dollar figure, the other side is in a stronger position to negotiate. So if the employer asks you what you are looking for, it's best to say, 'Could you tell me what the salary range is for this position?' If you immediately volunteer a dollar amount, the salary discussion will be based on that amount. The converse is also true. If the company representative states a dollar amount first, the salary negotiation process will start from there. Thus, it is your best interest to avoid mentioning a dollar amount first if at all possible."

DO offer a salary range
If you're pressed for a salary requirement, you still have options for negotiating your salary without losing the upper hand. "Don't lock yourself in to a specific dollar amount," Palmer says. Instead, she recommends giving a range that you're open to. "That still leaves you room for negotiation. There is not a lot of wiggle room with a specific dollar amount."

DON'T accept the first offer
If you've managed to persuade the company to offer the first salary figure, remember that it's just that: the first offer. "Usually the first offer is not the company's best offer," Palmer says. "It is generally expected that you will try to negotiate even though the competition for jobs is stiff. You may not be able to negotiate the same salary that you could before the economic downturn, but it is still worth it to negotiate. You don't want to feel taken advantage of after you start your new job."

DO make a strong case
Not all negotiation talks will go smoothly, but that's no reason to be deterred from getting money that's on the table—in any form. "If you are lowballed, negotiate based on how well your qualifications match the requirements of the position," Palmer says. "An employer will not be impressed if you try to negotiate based on what you made previously. The current job market is filled with qualified candidates. However, you are in a strong position to negotiate a higher salary if you are pretty much a perfect match for the position. The best thing to do is to reiterate what the position requires and restate the fact that you have exactly what they are looking for. Then you can say, 'My salary research shows that the going rate for someone with my qualifications and experience is between $X and $Y.' This makes your request for a higher salary objective instead of subjective."

DON'T forget to investigate other benefits or perks
If you're not able to get what you want from a monetary perspective, you may still have a few tricks left up your sleeve for negotiating a better employment package. Palmer says, "Health insurance and paid leave are worth money too, and they shouldn't be taken lightly. These can be negotiable. For example, if you already have health insurance through your spouse, you could try to negotiate a higher salary level since the employer will not be paying your premiums. You could also try to negotiate more paid leave, especially if you plan to use that extra vacation time to do consulting work to boost your income."
Though salary talks can be nerve-wracking, it's a crucial final step to securing the job and ensuring that you're fairly compensated for your work. And that's a final step you definitely want to take.