Interviews can be pretty predictable after some time. And that causes a lot of applicants to just memorize or reuse answers they might have already given before. So how do we extract personality-driven answers and avoid textbook ones? Easy. Shake things up and get creative! Here are ten samples of creative interview questions you can ask.
- Do you think you’d survive a zombie apocalypse? Why?
This interview question is a sample of an icebreaker. It’s funny and unexpected. It will help your candidate relax and warm up his or her imagination, thus exercising his or her communication skills. Apart from the obvious fun in the question and the answers you get, you also get a sense of the candidate’s determination and survival skills when it comes to complicated situations. Of course, we do hope that the working environment in your companies do not resemble a zombie apocalypse.
- If you were a customizable Krispy Kreme doughnut, what would you be?
Now that the applicant’s imagination has been kickstarted, it’s time to boost the creativity in that mind. Encourage your applicant to show their fun side while showing yours. This kind of interview question allows you to see a bit of what they enjoy and which of the other people in the team they’d get along with.
- What’s your usual coffee order?
Through this interview question, you get two things. One is the insight on their personality and the other is how they treat other people. You might find a keen attention to detail in some of the answers, but that’s up to you if that’s something you’d want to have in a teammate.
- How do you think is an M&M made?
This is a creative interview question that garners a lot of interesting answers. It encourages one’s logical reasoning, analytical and critical thinking. It provides insight on candidate’s thought process. How they see things and how they think things work. Bonus points if you get organizational and management skills in their answers.
- What is your favorite book?
Now don’t judge this slam book question just yet. There’s more to this question than simply finding out if you like the same types of books. This question, as an interview question can give you a peek into a candidate’s interest and more often than not, his or her values as well. What are the topics and concepts that are important to them? Are those the types of concepts and values that your team and your company does too?
- Which websites or blogs do you follow?
You won’t be comparing influencers to follow, okay? This is how you know if candidates like to inform themselves of updates and advancements in your industry. Aside from that, you also get to see more of the type of information they value and which of which motivates them to practice the same values and skills they might have.
- What is the perfect workday for you?
Are there birds singing? Everyone saying hello? Do they get a promotion? This is the type of question that helps you get an insight on their ideal working environment. It’s also a good way to know what they consider as accomplishments or a job well done. It’s also possible to get a whiff of some old experiences where they felt at their best in their previous jobs.
- Do you have any advice for your old boss?
To fully get perspective on your candidates’ previous experiences, this would be a good question to ask. You may learn about their relationships with old bosses, and you may also learn about how active they can be when it comes to creating their own growth in their previous companies. Old ideas that weren’t used? You might just have an innovator right in front of you.
- What song do you play when you’re stressed?
Okay so maybe you’d like to share your Spotify playlist. But this question is for you to find out how they motivate themselves in times of struggle and pressure. Do they like to head bang alone? Do they need inspirational songs to encourage teamwork when solving a problem? Although a Jam-ilton is preferred, you might want to get that information and insight in a different and subtle way. Asking for motivation is just a little too obvious and gets a way too predictable answer.
- What is one opinion you have that your family would disagree with?
This may sound a bit personal, but this is a question that would show depth into your candidates thought process, integrity and values. Should they choose to answer with something unique about themselves, they provide you an opportunity to see their personalities’ strengths and weaknesses. Are they persuasive? Defensive? Do they know how to reason with other people? Whether they take risks or stay safe with their answers, it opens a lot of doors for you to gauge your applicants’ behavior and thinking.
The foundation of interview questions remains the same. We all just want to know if a certain candidate fits well in our culture and would help our team grow. You can ask anything that you think would help you understand your applicant better, as long as you’re sure of what you want to know. If you want an applicant who’s confident and is not afraid of the unexpected, then don’t be afraid to shake things up too, once in a while.
