What are the most annoying interview quesitons you've been asked?
Recruiting season is basically in full swing/dwindling as superdays are approaching for many. What are some of the most vexatious WTF questions you have been asked thus far?
From my recruiting days, here are some of mine (the ones that made me want to punch my interviewer in the face kinds of questions)
Q1: Why did you transfer from Duke to your non-target?
A (truncated): I had a scholarship from Duke but couldn't pay for all 3 years, non-target offered me a full ride thus took it.
Followup Question: Why didn't your parents just pay for it?
Mental Answer: Did you just f* cking ask me that? What the f* ck you think???
Q2: That guy over there has an MBA/JD from harvard. Have you accomplished anything that amazing in your life?
Mental response: Your mom count? Why are you comparing me to people with grad degrees when I'm an undergrad?
Q3: Why am I successful?
Mental Response: Your good at lying to your LPs.
Q4: How well did you do in high school, what were your SAT scores and GPA? (this was after 3 interviews)
Q5: Tell me about yourself. What do your parents do for a living?
Q6 (more of a statement): We only hire kids from schools XYZ. Sorry but you sound smart and will do fine in the future.
Mental Response: Then why the f* ck did you interview me and waste 10 hours of my life over 4 days?







Q2 and Q6 made me want to
Q2 and Q6 made me want to punch my monitor
so irritating
I'm nerd raging hard just
I'm nerd raging hard just from reading those.
SAT scores are the biggest
SAT scores are the biggest fucking joke.
"A man generally has two reasons for doing anything. One that sounds good, and the real one." - J.P. Morgan
BTbanker: SAT scores are the
SAT scores are the biggest fucking joke.
Yeah, I felt like a tool keeping mine on my resume but I was still getting asked about them for PE recruiting. Think I can take them off now.
Dumbest questions:
Anything Jane Street asks. Seriously, I remember being impressed by it in college but it's just stupid inane shit.
The "weaknesses" question. Though I'll admit it to asking it in interviews myself, sometimes because I'm bored and sometimes because it's natural (if I'm sitting there listening to someone tell me how great they are and how much they've done).
If you were a mathematical sign, which one would you be? (My answer was cringe inducing, though I immediately ruled out minus and divide)
^ Something like "plus sign
^ Something like "plus sign because I can be an addition to your team?"
mrb87: If you were a
If you were a mathematical sign, which one would you be? (My answer was cringe inducing, though I immediately ruled out minus and divide)
If by sign they meant symbol, I would have said something corny like sigma where n = my age and x = 0. Then proceed to say something stupid like I am the sum of all my life experiences.
If I was the interviewer and heard that, I'd face palm myself.
Or maybe worse, I'd say infinity.
prudentinvestor: Followup
Followup Question: Why didn't your parents just pay for it?
Wow. I hope you didn't end up there. That is an amazingly, even shockingly, stupid question. You should do WSO a favor and out that firm. People need to know where they are likely to find the dumbest interviewer known to man.
Turbo leverage for capital explosion -- BD Capital
My WSO Blog
SirTradesaLot: prudentinves
Followup Question: Why didn't your parents just pay for it?
Wow. I hope you didn't end up there. That is an amazingly, even shockingly, stupid question. You should do WSO a favor and out that firm. People need to know where they are likely to find the dumbest interviewer known to man.
No, I did not end up working for this firm. I really wanted to punch that b*stard in the face after that. Approximately 1/3 of the questions from this dude was about my pedigree and my douche radar practically exploded.
I had another offer on the table and as I walked out of the building I called my contact at the other fund to accept.
I emailed them the next day to pull my app. Believe it or not, it was the final round and only 3 were left for 1 spot.
How would you explain time
How would you explain time value of money to a 2 year old?
Mental Answer: Does a fucking two year even have teeth, are you serious?
These are all questions to see how you handle stress/pressure/difficult situations. Just remain cool, that's the key.
WSO guides have samples of how to answer some of these.
INTERVIEW GUIDES -- Technical, Fit and Networking... The Biz School Bible and More...
prudentinvestor: Q2: That guy
Q2: That guy over there has an MBA/JD from harvard. Have you accomplished anything that amazing in your life?
Mental response: Your mom count? Why are you comparing me to people with grad degrees when I'm an undergrad?
Icky stress question. I'd like to hear thoughts on how one should go about answering questions like this.
mango001: prudentinvestor:
Q2: That guy over there has an MBA/JD from harvard. Have you accomplished anything that amazing in your life?
Mental response: Your mom count? Why are you comparing me to people with grad degrees when I'm an undergrad?
Icky stress question. I'd like to hear thoughts on how one should go about answering questions like this.
Like this?
http://static.guim.co.uk/sys-images/BOOKS/Pix/pict...
Q1. You are going to a desert
Q1. You are going to a desert on your own. What 3 items would you take?
Q2. If you are a sandwich, what would you be?
Mine was very irritating, it
Mine was very irritating, it turned into more of a conversation than a question..
HIM: So why did you choose to join fraternity XYZ?
ME: When I was going through the recruitment process I really got along with all the guys there and felt like I could see myself being very involved in what they were doing throughout college.
HIM: Well yeah I get that, but why THAT fraternity?
ME: I just really felt like I would fit in with the guys there. They were my kind of people and I could see myself becoming very close with them throughout the rest of my life.
HIM: Okay okay, but even so, how did you come to that conclusion about those guys?
ME: It's something I got a feel for through my interactions with them. The conversations were smooth and enjoyable, and it was evident that we shared a lot of the same values and outlooks on life. It was a good fit on a number of levels.
HIM: Could you elaborate? What are those values and outlooks?
In my head: "Are you serious..?"
The fraternity was one of the standard ones on campus, nothing about it to make it look out of place or strange that I had joined.
"Well that's even more than less than unhelpful." - Jack Sparrow
mango001: prudentinvestor:
Q2: That guy over there has an MBA/JD from harvard. Have you accomplished anything that amazing in your life?
Mental response: Your mom count? Why are you comparing me to people with grad degrees when I'm an undergrad?
Icky stress question. I'd like to hear thoughts on how one should go about answering questions like this.
Not really a stress question if you're asking an undergrad. To the interviewee it just sounds like the interviewer is trying to get to you but sounds like he's completely fucking stupid if he's comparing an undergrad to a JD/MBA. It is just a different way (Read: INCREDIBLY FUCKING DOUCHEY WAY) of asking you to talk the interviewer through your resume/list your achivements.
So instead of cursing the interviewer out mentally, you can just opt to list some of your biggest achievements. Mention that you are yet to go for further education, but list stuff you have done recently. EG: Recent internships, difficult projects, writing your own ER reports, trading on your own, solving problems in the Middle East, fixing the US economy.
You know. The usual stuff.
The most annoying question I
The most annoying question I ever got asked and gave my best was:
Q: Insurance background huh? So you want to go from fucking old ladies to a job in S&T?
A: nah, I only went from fucking you mom this morning to knowing the biggest jack ass ever. (I know the partner of the firm so I didn't really care about burning this guy)
Needless to say, he was shocked I got the balls to talk back. I just got up and excused myself at that point.
If you could be one color,
Q: What is your biggest
ST Monkey: The most annoying
I will never understand
You're born, you take shit. You get out in the world, you take more shit. You climb a little higher, you take less shit. Till one day you're up in the rarefied atmosphere and you've forgotten what shit even looks like. Welcome to the layer cake, son.
Nefarious-: I will never
RIP WSO Chat.
Some of these make me wonder
"When you stop striving for perfection, you might as well be dead."
EvanM: Some of these make me
"Explain distressed debt to
nostromo: "Explain distressed
RIP WSO Chat.
If you vould be a Tree what
"When a defining momnet comes alone, you either define the moment or the moment defines you..." - Tin Cup
Talent is hitting a target no one can hit.
Genius is hitting a target no one can see.
prudentinvestor: Q2: That guy
prudentinvestor: EvanM: Som
"When you stop striving for perfection, you might as well be dead."
Mine was "What is the most
Funniest thing I've read on
prudentinvestor: EvanM: Som
reformed: prudentinvestor:
Billy Ray Valentine: How
ppl here mention how some
10 demerits of yourself And
Q: If you were a color, what
My most annoying question
Work hard, play hard.
mango001: prudentinvestor:
Work hard, play hard.
They may have been messing
^^^You are a huge tool.
IvyGrad: Another thing - I
IvyGrad -- you entirely lack
Turbo leverage for capital explosion -- BD Capital
My WSO Blog
I'm not sure I'd phrase it
Work hard, play hard.