Job interviews are inherently awkward and vulnerable situations. Sitting down in front of a stranger and basically saying, "My financial stability is in your hands" never gets any less stressful no matter how many jobs you apply for.
Even when you're totally qualified for the job, interviewing can still be an uncomfortable experience because the questions are so unexpected! When I saw Reddit user u/TinyTbird12 turn to r/AskReddit to ask, "What is the weirdest question you’ve been asked at a job interview?" I simply had to see what the responses were. Here are 17 of the most baffling answers that range from weird to wildly inappropriate:
1. “'Are you comfortable with pornography?' The opening question for a small town IT repair shop!"
2. "'If you were any kind of animal, which would you be?' This was for a job on a military base..."
3. "Interviewer: Do you smoke? Me: No. Interviewer: Well I do, and I'm gonna smoke."
4. "I can't ask you directly what religion you are...but what do you think happens after we die?"
5. "My partner was asked, 'Why should we hire you when you look like that?' He was dressed in khakis, a long-sleeved designer button down, had a nice belt and shoes — the whole getup for interviewing for an office job."
6. "My girlfriend was recently asked on an interview, 'What weapon would you want to have in a zombie apocalypse? So random."
7. "I was once asked, 'Do you have issues with women?' To which I replied, 'What? No?!' That was for a programming job, and I still don't know why they asked that."
8. "I'm a paraplegic. I've been asked in a job interview, 'How could you possibly use a computer?' Another time, I was asked, 'Do you really need to use that wheelchair?'"
9. "'Do you drink?' It turned out that this place was a ‘work hard, party hard’ environment and they wanted people who would fit in. I do drink and I got the job, but I soon realized I didn’t drink enough to fit in."
10. "I went to a job interview for a serving position. After going over my extensive work experience in the service industry, the manager asked, 'If you were a cereal, which one would you be?' Me: Hmm, I don’t know. Cheerios? Him: Why Cheerios? Me: …Because I seem like a Cheerio kinda person? Him: Most people say fruit loops, cause they’re fun and colorful. Me: 😐...and no, I did not get the job."
11. "'Imagine making a painting. Are you painting the painting or installing it on the wall?' I have no idea what they were getting at."
12. "'Well, since I already know your weaknesses (I have no idea what he was talking about), what are some of your strengths?'"
13. "If I had a boyfriend. I guess I'd understand more if they asked if I was married or not, but it was such an odd question. Why? Would it be a problem if I might get married soon? Or pregnant? It's literally none of their business."
14. "'I understand that you are profoundly deaf. Will you be available for a phone interview with HR?'"
15. "'If I hire you as the HR manager, will you go and F all the nurses? Because that is what the former HR manager did.'"
16. "'What would you do if someone started shouting at you in a meeting?' I responded that I'd just leave the meeting. I don't get paid to babysit. If someone wants to act like a child, then I'll leave them to it. The main interviewer seemed taken aback and the other guys there chuckled. I got the job and it turns out the guy who asked the question had a bad habit of raising his voice to people who disagreed with him."
17. And finally, "The strangest question I ever had during an interview was no question at all. The interviewer was a VERY talkative fellow. It took a full hour. He spent the first 20 minutes telling me about his qualifications, and the rest of it talking about hunting and fishing. At the end of the 'interview' he asked me if I could start at the beginning of the month."
Have you ever been asked a question in a job interview that made you say, "Huh?!" Let me know in the comments below! ⬇️
Note: Some responses have been edited for length and/or clarity.