14 difficult questions companies like Google and SpaceX have asked job candidates during an interview

Advertisement

hot cocoa

Orin Zebest/flickr

"How would you sell hot chocolate in Florida?"

If you think interview questions like "What's your biggest strength?" and "Where do you see yourself in five years?" are tough, you're in for a rude awakening.

Advertisement

Some companies are asking far more challenging - an in many cases, oddball - questions of job candidates, like "How many basketballs would fit in this room?" and "How would you sell hot chocolate in Florida?"

Job site Glassdoor recently combed through its tens of thousands of interview questions shared by job candidates during the past year to find some of the most difficult and bizarre questions.

"Job candidates at employers across all industries should be ready to answer any question, from the most basic to the most challenging," says Susan Underwood, Glassdoor's head of global recruiting and talent acquisition. "Employers are asking tough interview questions to test a job candidate's critical thinking skills, see how they problem solve on the spot, and gauge how they approach difficult situations. Employers want to determine how different candidates respond to challenges, and those who respond well may have the edge when it comes to receiving a job offer."

Interestingly, Glassdoor found that there is a statistical link between a tough interview process and greater employee satisfaction. Across six countries, more challenging interviews upfront were associated with higher employee satisfaction later on.

Advertisement

Here are some of the strangest and most challenging questions companies are asking job candidates right now, according to Glassdoor: