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Glassdoor Reveals 20 Bizarre, Complex, Thought-Provoking And Physical Interview Questions

LONDON (30th January, 2020) Glassdoor, one of the world’s largest job and recruiting sites, has analysed hundreds of thousands of interview reviews left on the site to reveal the 20 toughest interview questions and challenges that have been posed by UK companies. This list has been designed to help job seekers prepare for unexpected or challenging questions as employers continue to get creative with their interview techniques.

John Lamphiere, Vice President & Managing Director of EMEA at Glassdoor, comments: “Employers continue to push the boundaries with hiring practices, presenting candidates with obscure questions and challenges to test their thought process and problem solving aptitude. These questions and challenges rarely have right or wrong answers, rather employers are looking to understand candidates’ cognitive strengths, reactions under pressure and how they may fit into the existing team. 

“Candidates therefore shouldn’t be thrown by seemingly complex questions. They should take their time when preparing an answer and be sure to explain their thought process.”

Glassdoor’s 20 Toughest Interview Questions:

The Bizarre

  • Tell us two truths and a lie. Asked at a Holiday Sales Associate interview at AllSaints Retail
  • If you could have a superpower, what would it be and why? Asked at Hospitality Team Member interview at Compass Group
  • What one thing would you take to the moon? Asked at a Home & Leisure Colleague interview at ASDA
  • Should you choose to jump from an aeroplane or climb a mountain? Explain why? Asked at a Warehouse interview at AO
  • If you won £10 million, what would you do with it? Asked at a Finance Graduate Interview at Camelot

The Complex

  • If you had £50,000 to start up a new company where would you put the money and why? Asked at a Graduate interview at Admiral Group
  • How many windows do you think there are in London? Asked at a Data & Analytics Assistant interview at Association of British Insurers
  • How many taxis are there in Oxford? Derive your answer mathematically, not anecdotally. Asked at a Research & Publications interview at Aurora Energy Research
  • Is a Jaffa Cake a cake or a biscuit? Asked at a Workshop Engineer interview at Barron McCann
  • Estimate the annual revenue of an outdoor swimming pool. Asked at a Graduate Consultant interview at Bain & Company

The Thought-Provoking

  • What do you consider a challenge for the world and what do you do to solve it? Asked at an Affiliate Marketing Manager interview at Airbnb
  • Name a minimum of 15 qualities that define a great leadership. Asked at a Candidate interview at Glowing Global
  • What makes you happy? Asked at an Account Manager interview at Brainlabs
  • If you were inventing a product based on a fruit, what would it be and how would you market it? Asked at an Associate interview at Atheneum Partners
  • How do your friends describe you? Asked at a Candidate interview at ASOS

The Physical

  • Build a bridge on a table using straws and cardboard in a team. Asked at a Candidate interview at ADP
  • Solve a Rubik’s cube. Asked at a Contractor interview at AlixPartners
  • Can you make a tower using marshmallows and spaghetti to hold one of these cans? Asked at a Customer Service Advisor interview at Argos
  • Play a ping-pong game app. Asked at a Platform Team PM interview at Ovo Energy
  • Design a car park. Asked at a Summer Technology Analyst interview at Morgan Stanley

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Methodology

Interview reviews were left by Glassdoor users between 27/11/2017 – 26/11/2019. Interview questions were selected at random and placed in no order of importance or difficulty. 

About Glassdoor
Glassdoor combines all the latest jobs with millions of reviews and insights to make it easy for people to find a job that is uniquely right for them. As a result, Glassdoor helps employers hire truly informed candidates at scale through effective recruiting solutions like job advertising and employer branding products. Launched in 2008, Glassdoor now has reviews and insights for 900,000 companies located in more than 190 countries.


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