10 of the Year’s Wackiest Job Interview Questions

Think quick: How many basketballs would fit in the room that you are currently sitting in?

That’s among the weirdest job interview questions of the year, according to Glassdoor. The jobs website releases oddball questions that have actually been asked of job applicants during interviews each year.

The good news is that recent Glassdoor research found that more challenging interviews are associated with greater employee satisfaction.

So why do employers ask such questions? Susan Underwood, Glassdoor head of global recruiting and talent acquisition, cites three reasons:

• To test a job candidate’s critical thinking skills
• To see how a job candidate solves problems on the spot
• To gauge how a job candidate approaches difficult situations

Underwood further explains:

“Employers want to determine how different candidates respond to challenges, and those who respond well may have the edge when it comes to receiving a job offer.”

The top oddball interview questions on Glassdoor’s latest list are:

1. “When a hot dog expands, in which direction does it split and why?” — Asked of a SpaceX propulsion structural analyst job candidate
2. “Would you rather fight one horse-sized duck, or 100 duck-sized horses?” — Whole Foods Market meat cutter job candidate
3. “If you’re the CEO, what are the first three things you check about the business when you wake up?” — Dropbox rotation program job candidate
4. “What would the name of your debut album be?” — Urban Outfitters sales associate job candidate
5. “How would you sell hot cocoa in Florida?” — J.W. Business Acquisitions human resources recruiter job candidate
6. “If I gave you $40,000 to start a business, what would you start?” — HubSpot account manager job candidate
7. “What would you do if you found a penguin in the freezer?” — Trader Joe’s job candidate
8. “If you were a brand, what would be your motto?” — Boston Consulting Group consultant job candidate
9. “How many basketballs would fit in this room?” — Delta Air Lines revenue management co-op job candidate
10. “If you had $2,000, how would you double it in 24 hours?” — Uniqlo management trainee job candidate

So what’s the weirdest question you’ve ever been asked during a job interview? We’d love to hear. Share it in our Forums. It’s a place where you can swap questions and answers on money-related matters, life hacks and ingenious ways to save.