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What's the hardest interview question you were ever asked?
 

David Aames's picture
O
(Baboon, 141
 
Points)
 on 11/6/12 at 6:30pm
worst job interview ever.png

Andy note: some of the quotes below were published on CNBC / Yahoo awhile back: Want This Job? 'Let Me Sleep With Your Girlfriend', also check out WSO's response to their article

---------------------------------

This thread got me thinking... Interviewees: what is the hardest / most nerve-wracking question you ever got asked in an interview, how did you handle it, and what was the end result?

Interviewers: what is the hardest / most nerve-wracking question you ever asked in an interview, how did the interviewer handle it, and what was the end result?

Did you ask it just to see how they would respond (ie all that mattered was that he/she gave a good effort / didn't get flustered)? OR did you ask it to actually see his/her knowledge and/or intelligence?

mod (Andy) note: hope I never have an interview with Blackhat...

BlackHat:

In a 2 on 1 where I was the silent #2 interviewing some nervous banker, my only line was "are you trying to f*ck us over?" The kid had NO CLUE what to say. Got visibly uncomfortable and said he wasn't sure what I meant. My co-worker goes "why didn't you say no?" Kid just froze like a f*ckin' deer in the headlights.

Interview Coming Up? Be Prepared.

What is the answer to 99 out of 100 questions?
Tags:
hot1590's picture

Where are you from? I didn't

 
Points)
 on 6/4/12 at 11:55am

Where are you from? I didn't realize I was actually supposed to give them an elevator pitch.

Dank Nugs's picture

Q: Do you view this as your

ER
(Baboon, 148
 
Points)
 on 6/4/12 at 11:59am

Q: Do you view this as your dream career?
A: Yes.
Q: If in two years, you receive an offer for more money on the buyside, will you turn it down because this is your dream career?
A: Silence.

David Aames's picture

Dank Nugs: Q: Do you view

O
(Baboon, 141
 
Points)
 on 6/4/12 at 12:25pm
Dank Nugs:

Q: Do you view this as your dream career?
A: Yes.
Q: If in two years, you receive an offer for more money on the buyside, will you turn it down because this is your dream career?
A: Silence.

lol... eventually you said something, what was it?

What is the answer to 99 out of 100 questions?

David Aames's picture

Hmm..from a job interview for

O
(Baboon, 141
 
Points)
 on 6/4/12 at 12:28pm

Hmm..from a job interview for a GS analyst position: “If you were shrunk to the size of a pencil and put in a blender, how would you get out?”

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2010/12/30/job-inter...

What is the answer to 99 out of 100 questions?

animalz's picture

If a genie granted you one

(Gorilla, 708
 
Points)
 on 6/4/12 at 1:08pm

If a genie granted you one wish, what would it be?

seabird's picture

http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-v2A

PE
(King Kong, 1,494
 
Points)
 on 6/4/12 at 1:08pm

http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-v2A1mxoffWY/T7DPnfkfGBI/...

“...all truth passes through three stages. First, it is ridiculed. Second, it is violently opposed. Third, it is accepted as being self-evident.”

- Schopenhauer

chicandtoughness's picture

How did being a bullying

CS
 
Points)
 on 6/4/12 at 2:19pm

How did being a bullying victim during high school shape the way you viewed the world? (among other similar questions)
- Bridgewater

"Accept no one's definition of your life; define yourself."
Currently: quantitative marketing/business development
Previously: management consulting, investment banking

youngblood90's picture

What is your number? (as in

AM
(Monkey, 49
 
Points)
 on 6/4/12 at 2:29pm

What is your number? (as in what amount of money I would need for retirement)

BuyersRemorse's picture

chicandtoughness: How did

IB
(Baboon, 140
 
Points)
 on 6/4/12 at 2:32pm
chicandtoughness:

How did being a bullying victim during high school shape the way you viewed the world? (among other similar questions)
- Bridgewater

That's rather presumptuous, lol...Sure says something about the candidate...

ItsJustNumbers's picture

How about... Q. Where do you

PE
(Chimp, 4
 
Points)
 on 6/4/12 at 2:55pm

How about...

Q. Where do you want to be in 5 years

A. Your bosses, bosses, bosses job

Bobb's picture

ItsJustNumbers: How

AM
 
Points)
 on 6/4/12 at 2:59pm
ItsJustNumbers:

How about...

Q. Where do you want to be in 5 years

A. Your bosses, bosses, bosses job

A. Retired

mhurricane's picture

In.

 
Points)
 on 6/4/12 at 3:30pm

In.

The difference between successful people and others is largely a habit - a controlled habit of doing every task better, faster and more efficiently.

Nabooru's picture

What makes a good company?

(Gorilla, 689
 
Points)
 on 6/4/12 at 6:40pm

What makes a good company? What makes a bad one? Why is X a bad company?

Who are you going to believe, me or your lying eyes?

Will Hunting's picture

From GS: Interviewer: If I

IB
(King Kong, 1,231
 
Points)
 on 6/4/12 at 7:03pm

From GS:

Interviewer: If I told you that the only way you were going to get this job is if you let me sleep with your girlfriend, would you accept?

Me: I'd rather you sleep with me

"Look, you're my best friend, so don't take this the wrong way. In twenty years, if you're still livin' here, comin' over to my house to watch the Patriots games, still workin' construction, I'll fuckin' kill you. That's not a threat, that's a fact.

SmokeyG's picture

"From GS: Interviewer: If I

 
Points)
 on 6/4/12 at 7:22pm

"From GS:

Interviewer: If I told you that the only way you were going to get this job is if you let me sleep with your girlfriend, would you accept?"

I honestly don't know how I would answer this. The true answer is probably yes, but I'd be afraid to be so forward in case thats not what theyd want to hear.

BlackHat's picture

In a 2 on 1 where I was the

HF
 
Points)
 on 6/4/12 at 7:26pm

I hate victims who respect their executioners

Follow BH & Co. on Twitter: @DumbLuckCapital
twitter.com/DumbLuckCapital

kidflash's picture

Will Hunting: From

IB
(Gorilla, 684
 
Points)
 on 6/4/12 at 7:26pm
ginNtonic's picture

What's your greatest

(Gorilla, 562
 
Points)
 on 6/4/12 at 8:08pm
ChrisHansen's picture

Dank Nugs: Q: Do you view

(Gorilla, 534
 
Points)
 on 6/4/12 at 8:35pm

"I'm the luckiest guy in the world, and when I die I want to come back as me."
-Mark Cuban

SFTechUES's picture

Q: "What's your outlook for

 
Points)
 on 6/4/12 at 9:41pm
DiarrheaAnneFrank's picture

What changes would you make

(Monkey, 48
 
Points)
 on 6/4/12 at 9:54pm
frgna's picture

David Aames: Hmm..from a job

O
 
Points)
 on 6/4/12 at 9:56pm

if you like it then you shoulda put a banana on it

Boreed's picture

Will Hunting: From

PE
 
Points)
 on 6/4/12 at 9:58pm

WSO User Guidelines
WSO Interview Guides

goodL1fe's picture

SFTechUES: Q: "What's your

 
Points)
 on 6/4/12 at 9:59pm

Robert Clayton Dean: What is happening?
Brill: I blew up the building.
Robert Clayton Dean: Why?
Brill: Because you made a phone call.

SFTechUES's picture

kidflash: Will

 
Points)
 on 6/4/12 at 10:00pm
Nefarious-'s picture

What would your entrance

CF
(Neanderthal, 2,216
 
Points)
 on 6/4/12 at 10:07pm

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.

Azimut's picture

Interview with MS in

(Monkey, 58
 
Points)
 on 6/4/12 at 10:11pm
luccabananas's picture

SFTechUES: kidflash: Will

IB
 
Points)
 on 6/4/12 at 10:14pm
Walkio's picture

Will Hunting: From

(King Kong, 1,184
 
Points)
 on 6/4/12 at 10:22pm
av8ter's picture

goodL1fe: SFTechUES: Q:

O
 
Points)
 on 6/4/12 at 10:39pm
av8ter's picture

Nefarious-: What would your

O
 
Points)
 on 6/4/12 at 10:40pm
theparadox's picture

"Why don't you have any

IB
(Orangutan, 336
 
Points)
 on 6/4/12 at 10:48pm
junkbondswap's picture

Interviewer: Do you always

(King Kong, 1,724
 
Points)
 on 6/4/12 at 10:55pm
SFTechUES's picture

luccabananas: SFTechUES:

 
Points)
 on 6/4/12 at 11:06pm
solb22's picture

Interesting to see these

 
Points)
 on 6/4/12 at 11:13pm
Honthro's picture

solb22: 2. ** This is one the

(Chimp, 1
 
Points)
 on 6/4/12 at 11:37pm
BTbanker's picture

SFTechUES: Q: "What's your

IB
 
Points)
 on 6/4/12 at 11:38pm

"A man generally has two reasons for doing anything. One that sounds good, and the real one." - J.P. Morgan

solb22's picture

Honthro: solb22: 2. ** This

 
Points)
 on 6/4/12 at 11:41pm
Commuter's picture

"What do you think of this

IB
(Neanderthal, 2,991
 
Points)
 on 6/4/12 at 11:59pm

I work here...sup
WSO Company Database | WSO Job Board
[email protected]

luccabananas's picture

solb22: Honthro: solb22:

IB
 
Points)
 on 6/5/12 at 1:04am
solb22's picture

Luca you are real close! You

 
Points)
 on 6/5/12 at 1:00am
BanditPandit's picture

Two situational ones, not the

O
 
Points)
 on 6/5/12 at 1:06am
couchy's picture

what beta would you use when

(King Kong, 1,368
 
Points)
 on 6/5/12 at 1:29am
Clever Name's picture

Most of my interviews were

IB
(Baboon, 137
 
Points)
 on 6/5/12 at 1:38am

When one man, for whatever reason, has an opportunity to lead an extraordinary life, he has no right to keep it to himself.

chicandtoughness's picture

BanditPandit: 1) Two MDs come

CS
 
Points)
 on 6/5/12 at 2:01am

"Accept no one's definition of your life; define yourself."
Currently: quantitative marketing/business development
Previously: management consulting, investment banking

humble_dude's picture

kidflash: Will

O
(Orangutan, 357
 
Points)
 on 6/5/12 at 2:21am
DrPeterVenkman's picture

BlackHat: In a 2 on 1 where I

O
(Gorilla, 707
 
Points)
 on 6/5/12 at 2:22am

See my WSO blog

olafenizer's picture

Will Hunting: From

IB
(King Kong, 1,005
 
Points)
 on 6/5/12 at 2:59am

See my other WSO blog posts

LockStock's picture

One time I asked an

(Chimp, 4
 
Points)
 on 6/5/12 at 3:01am
chicandtoughness's picture

olafenizer: Will

CS
 
Points)
 on 6/5/12 at 3:47am

"Accept no one's definition of your life; define yourself."
Currently: quantitative marketing/business development
Previously: management consulting, investment banking

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