Oxford University has released some sample questions, to debunk the myth that they’re “unanswerable”. You be the judge.
“Why do you think manhole covers are round?”
This, an actual interview question posed to a would-be Microsoft employee, is just one of myriad impossible job interview questions that are designed to inspire creative thinking – but which are generally more successful at inspiring fear in the hearts of job-seekers.
The only questions more perplexing, it seems, are the problems posed to prospective students at Oxford University.
The prestigious 928-year-old college has released a list of sample questions in an effort to debunk the myth that their questions are “unanswerable”.
After you’ve read some of the questions, you be the judge…
* Why do many animals have stripes?
* How do pirates divide their treasure?
* Why might it be useful for an English student to read the Twilight series?
* Imagine we had no records about the past at all, except everything to do with sport – how much of the past could we find out about?
* What does it mean for someone to ‘take' another's car?
* Should poetry be difficult to understand?
* If you could invent a new musical instrument, what kind of sound would it make?
* Would it matter if tigers became extinct?
* Should interviews be used for selection?
What’s the most unusual or perplexing interview question you’ve ever asked, or been asked?
