Has anyone been on a job interview and got asked a weird question like Who would you be Batman or

[diabeticman]

Robin?

Or If you had to be natural disaster what would you be and why?



Why are people being asked these questions and how do you answer them?


My wife got asked this question and she asked Which Robin are we talking about and she went on to show that she knew the Batman lore and my wife was thinking if I say batman it would show a strong leader if she said Robin it might show her as a follower or weak.

I am finding a lot of friends being ask those questions and I just wonder if there is a right way to answer these questions?

[WestCoastLib]

1. Yes. And I've asked those questions too

The point of doing that is simply to see how well someone thinks on their feet. You go into a job interview with a set expectation of what you want to say and how you want to present yourself. Most interview questions are fairly similar and most of us practice, or at least rehearse in our heads what we want to say. It can be hard to get a true feel for a candidate sometime from only asking work related questions and, in particular, questions that they are likely prepared for.

So, how well do they think on their feet? How do they react to a curve ball thrown at them? That's why I ask a question like that as an interviewer. Nobody really cares what the answer is, per se, they just care how the person reacts. Do they completely freeze at something unexpected thrown their way, or do they deftly handle it and give a coherent answer. Usually the questions are made to be pretty lighthearted, like the Batman/Robin one.

I sometimes ask them to tell a joke.

[diabeticman]

2. So if I tell you the joke about the 2 drunks in a 5 story bar... What would it tell you about me ?

It is really the only funny joke I know.

2 drunks are in a 5 story bar drinking. after a few drinks one drunk walks to the window and jumps out the window. A few minutes later he comes walking up the steps sits at the bar and has a few more drinks. This man repeats the process of having a few drinks going over to the window and jumping out and returns a few minutes later. Finally the second dunk says: "Man, you should be dead. How are you surviving?

First drunk: Actually with the way the building is built there is a consent updraft and with all the gasses in your body you just float down.

Second Drunk: I have got to try this. He finishes his drink matches to the window jumps out the window ...Splat.

Bartender: Your a jerk when you drink, Superman.


Also do you think my wife might have impressed by asking the question of which Robin?

Seriously... Thank you for that information. My friend has an interview tomorrow and has been worried about getting asked like a question like that?

[WestCoastLib]

3. It appears that your wife answered it well.

But I don't really know the context. If the person who asked it was really a Batman fan, then showing that she knew some Batman lore very well might have improved his opinion of her. But I definitely don't think you should be worried about one answer, Batman or Robin, being the "right" answer. Nobody asking this question is looking for a right answer. They just want an answer that shows the interviewee is engaged and capable of speaking outside of the script, rather than just going through the motions.

I'd have been happy with your joke. You'd be surprised at how many people simply can't bring themselves to tell a joke in an interview.

[JustABozoOnThisBus]

24. On diversity and dress codes in the workplace ...

A Vietnamese guy, a Burmese guy, and a Laotian walk into a bar.
Bartender says, hey you can't come in here without a Thai.

[REP]

4. It's a psych question

There is no right answer. Well, there is. And she gave a good worker answer.

[Art_from_Ark]

5. I was asked a totally bizarre question in a job interview once

It was one of those dumbass panel-group interviews. One of the panelists asked, "You're a teacher at a junior high on an isolated island in a foreign country. The principal invites you to his house for dinner. During dinner, he introduces you to his daughter, who may or may not be of legal age. Out of the blue, the principal asks you if you would like to sleep with his daughter. What do you say?"

I just rolled my eyes and said, "Considering this only happens in Penthouse forum letters, I don't think I have to worry about ever being in such a situation".

Needless to say, I didn't get the job.

[alcibiades_mystery]

11. That's an inappropriate question at a job interview

It probably borders on actionable.

[Agschmid]

18. Yup.

[Art_from_Ark]

34. That was back in 1987 or 88

I took a bus trip all the way out to San Francisco for that interview. The panelist justified the question by claiming that it had actually happened before. Rolling my eyes probably didn't help, but I thought it was such a bizarre question, I just couldn't help it.

Ironically, I actually got a job teaching at a junior high in a foreign country a few years later with a different outfit, and the only time I had a social activity with the principal was when all the new teachers were invited to a karaoke party.

[Oneironaut]

6. I was asked how I planned to be as good as the guy sitting next to my interviewer.

I wish I was kidding.

The funny part is, they wanted me to come in for a second interview.

[Contrary1]

7. I was once asked "Do you think you will like working here?"

How could anyone know the answer to that one?

My response was "Probably not, but if I get the job, I will show up every day, on time and give you your money's worth." I really wasn't trying to be smart...it just flew out of my mouth.

I almost fell out of my chair when he hired me on the spot. Go figure.

[bemildred]

8. I've been asked all kinds of stupid questions on job interviews.

Many times the interviewer has no idea what sort of questions are relevant to your profession, so you get lots of "creative" questions intended to scope out your personality according to various incorrect dogmas about how people think.

[Syzygy321]

9. I got "How do you feel about abortion?"

No freaking joke.

(Indiana University OB-Gyn Department. 1999)

Also "How do you expect to balance work and family life?"

(Baylor Univeristy OB-Gyn. 1999)

Those questions are not permitted (banned by a governing body in the field) and I knew it. But when you're in the hot seat and powerless and have a millisecond to decide whether to answer or shout, "You can't ask me that, you sick bastard!", which way do you jump?

I'm still outraged 15 years later.

[muriel_volestrangler]

13. In an ob-gyn department, wouldn't a question about abortion be relevant?

If, for instance, you reply "I'm unwilling to participate in any abortion procedure", then you would be unsuitable for several positions in the department.

[Syzygy321]

14. No. Nobody is forced to perform abortions

and hardly any abortions are done in OB-Gyn training programs anyway these days. The basic procedure (D and C) is still done for other reasons, like heavy bleeding. So you get trained in abortions without actually doing any.

(It may be different in liberal parts of the country. Or so I tell myself.)

It's a specifically banned question because the interviewer will be outraged if you don't give whichever answer he/she agrees with. And can easily blackball you without ever having to say why.

[muriel_volestrangler]

15. So, if anywhere needs to fill a post that include working with abortions

they have to fill it, then ask the person, once employed, if they're willing to do it, and, if they're not, they have to hire someone else and go through the process all over again? That could get expensive, having tyo hire 2 (or more people) for 1 job.

[Syzygy321]

21. I am talking about my situationn and the job I was applying for.

As I mentioned, for this job there is a governing body that bans certain questions, for very good reason. And that question - like the sexist "how will you do this job and have a family?" or "Do you plan to get pregnant?" etc - is against the rules.

Different jobs are different.

[stevenleser]

19. Oh, I would so respond to that "I haven't had one so far and can guarantee you I never will..."

[Orrex]

10. What company asked her that question?

Anyone who has breathed air in the US in the past 70 years knows the answer

It's a stupid question because it is not possible to answer "Robin" and mean it.

[Nuclear Unicorn]

12. If you had a choice would you rather be an internet poster or his wife?

[Vinca]

16. Another reason why I enjoy being self-employed.

I'd be tempted to ask the interviewer why they read comic books.

[RobinA]

26. I'd Come Close

to a response like that. I don't know anything about Batman or Robin. The only comic book I've ever read in my life was a "Fabulous Furry Freak Brothers." I'm quick enough to not admit to the Freak Brothers at a job interview, but depending on my mood I'd either (boring) cop to not knowing anything about Batman or (snarky) find it funny that I'm being asked about a comic.

Actually, I've been civil service for years and they aren't allowed to ask nonsense or trick questions, so you never have to go into an interview wondering what you are going to say is your greatest failure, or why do you want this job.

I notice lately a lot of job apps asking what superfantastic thing you will bring to the job and how are you going to add to the incredible wonderfullness of the company. I gotta think, It's a job for f*ck sake, get over yourself. Faced with a question like that I'd just have to take a dive, because, despite having a social science Bachelors and Masters, even I can't BS to that degree.

[Javaman]

17. Superman. nt

[hunter]

32. Clark Kent, because even Superman needs to pay the bills...

... and people were getting suspicious about those diamonds I was pressing out of coal.

[Javaman]

33. but there's the rub...

If Superman were really noble he would flood the diamond market and crash it.

[Lee-Lee]

20. I was asked that in my last interview and said "Alfred"

Then explained in the person who makes everything possible and will bail others out when needed, but I don't care who gets the credit as long as the job is done.

I got the job.

The question must be in some popular HR book or seminar it pops up so much.

[azmom]

31. That was a great answer. N/t

[brooklynite]

22. The answer to the question isn't particularly important

What IS important is:

1) how you think about the question
2) how you frame an answer to the question
3) how you respond to the unexpected

[Xyzse]

23. I want to be Nightwing.

Oldest of the Robins, who set off on his own.

Took the mentoring position given, and found his own path.

[cbdo2007]

25. You could make a good case for being Batman OR Robin, depending on the circumstance...

But like others have said, it's more about your thought process in explaining WHY you are choosing what you choose, rather than the answer itself.

That's the fun part of job interviews....make the interviewee squirm with random/weird questions, lol.

[olddots]

27. I was asked what kind of cheese I preferred

on steamed brocoli .

[MattBaggins]

30. Maybe the point is to actually find someone willing to say

"What a fucking stupid question"

[broiles]

28. If you're not a believer, how do you make decisions?

I had refused to answer what my religion was on their initial form, saying that was none of their business.

[MattBaggins]

29. I got asked which super hero would you like to be

Hulk

Why?

I can really relate to his problem solving skills.