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A comment on The Dumbest Interview Question.

Re:The Dumbest Interview Question by jwesley on Tuesday December 23, 2008 @12:48PM (#407839)
This is a great interview question. The point isn't the actual answer, but the way an interviewee responds. It's a mind game to see how the person will react. Will they deny weakness? Will they confess a horrendous flaw? It reveals a lot of character. Plus it is just plain fun to ask people ridiculous questions with no correct answer.
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Re:The Dumbest Interview Question by mattmichielsen on Tuesday December 23, 2008 @01:52PM (#407934)
One of my previous coworkers and I were interviewing a guy together, and I believe his was one of the most ridiculous questions ever:

"If you could get rid of one of the United States completely, which would it be and why?"

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Re:The Dumbest Interview Question by gruseom on Tuesday December 23, 2008 @03:18PM (#408039)
It's ridiculous, but no more so than the brain-twister puzzle type that used to get so much attention.

Actually, it would be fun to conduct an interview consisting of nothing but ridiculous questions like this, while acting as though the interview were completely normal. I don't think I could pull it off with a straight face though.

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Re:The Dumbest Interview Question by jodrellblank on Tuesday December 23, 2008 @08:36PM (#408364)
I think it would end up like this Monty Python Silly Job Interview Sketch: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zP0sqRMzkwo

Not something I want to see when it's me/my life on the line, really. Take it seriously and talk sense, please.

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Re:The Dumbest Interview Question by dcminter on Wednesday December 24, 2008 @06:45AM (#408714)
Paraphrased from my fuzzy recollection of some random interview with a recruitment guru:

"The best question to ask is 'What would your mother say was your greatest weakness?' - it's like truth serum. People start babbling about how she thinks that they're always late, or procrastinating, or unreliable and so on."

"What would you say if someone asked you this?"

"'You never call.'"

Apologies that I don't have a better source for this - anyone recognize it?

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