7 Questions

The Ladders  put out an article on seven interview questions that are out of the ordinary. Of course, in the article, they give some of the answers that people had for these questions. However, according to the article, the outcome of these answers is often in doubt.

So let's take a professional and logical approach to how to answer each question. The following answers are gut reactions by the author. They have been dressed up just a bit, solely for the sake of clear publication.

Remember: there are two basic types of interview questions. A behavioral interview question determines how you respond to common tasks and challenges. The idea is to let the interviewer see how you think and make decisions.

A canned interview question is designed to tell the interviewer either why they should hire you, or what you bring to their company. You will note that all seven questions from the Ladders article are variants of a canned interview question.

Cisco: What kind of tree would you be?
A - I would be an oak tree. Strong, dependable, and reliable at the core. The oak tree also gives to those around it - it gives shade, acorns for eating, as well as protection from the wind and rain.

Whole Foods Market: Would you rather fight one horse-sized duck, or 100 duck-sized horses?
A - I would rather fight one horse-sized duck. Has anyone with real life experience can tell you, there is no effective way to fight multiple opponents, unless you have a weapon that is a force multiplier. Since that was not specified, I must presume that the fight will be as his. A single opponent can be learned, and weaknesses exploited.

Facebook: How much do you charge to wash every window in Seattle?
A - I wouldn't charge a dime. I would offer my services for free, provided that each company, whose window I washed, would donate an equitable sum to relief efforts in the Houston Texas area after the hurricane.

Clark Construction: A penguin walks over who is wearing a sombrero. What does he say and why is he here?
A - Why must we presume that the penguin can talk? Penguins walk, we all know that. Somebody could have put the sombrero on his head. It is logical to presume that this is what happened. But just because we see something out of the ordinary, we mustn't assume that regular rules no longer apply.

SpaceX: When a hot dog expands, in which direction does it split and why?
A - A hot dog will split lengthwise, in a nearly straight line. This is because such a split will enable the most pressure to be relieved, from the expanding gases and liquids inside.

U K Survey: : If a hippo gets stuck in a hole, how would you get it out?
A - Naturally, if it is an option, I would call a professional animal rescue team. Barring that, I would solicit the help of people who had the right tools and training to make just such a rescue attempt. If this must be accomplished by my hand only, and presuming that I would have only the most primitive of tools, all I would need would be a shovel. I could shovel dirt into the hole where the hippo stands, and as the dirt fills the hole that hippo would continue to stand on top of the dirt. Eventually he would be out.