49 Jaw-Dropping Questions People Were Actually Asked During Job Interviews

16.

“I had one that asked me if I’d applied to any other jobs, and they were upset when I said I had. They told me the right candidate would be so committed to getting this job that they wouldn’t apply anywhere else. I replied that they were only interviewing law school grads who graduated in the top 10 of their class. Anyone who graduated in the top 10 of their class would be entertaining multiple offers. They didn’t appreciate that. In the same interview, I was asked why they should hire me if they had another candidate who was ‘better than you in every way.’ I tried naming different soft skills of mine, but the interviewer kept saying, ‘They’re better than you in EVERY way.’ I finally said, ‘Well, if they’re better than me in every conceivable way, then you SHOULDN’T hire me.’ Apparently, that was the wrong answer. That interview lasted six hours.”

“I interviewed with a law firm specializing in employment law, and they asked me when I plan on having children (which is considered gender discrimination in the US). I answered that I didn’t plan on having them, because I didn’t, and I really wanted the job.

I interviewed at a firm that got back to the recruiter with feedback after deciding not to hire me. They had asked what I considered to be essential to a functioning company culture. I had replied, among other things, that a mutual respect between employees and employer was important. According to the recruiter, they considered the request for respect a ‘red flag.’ I said that I thought that was a red flag itself for me, and I wouldn’t want to work there anyway.”

—rnd13001