The world can be a weird and wonderful place, but when most people picture the interview process they envisage a nerve jangling and serious experience. This is however, not always the case. More and more employers are increasingly inspired to see how candidates think and cope with strange situations and oddball questions. It’s not always about getting the right answers; instead it’s about seeing how candidates tackle a challenging problem and how fast they think on their feet. So, thanks to our friends at Glassdoor, we thought we’d list some of our favourite zany and wacky interview questions of all time. 1. “What do you think of garden gnomes?” – view answers Asked at Trader Joe’s. ... Read more

If you’re at all like me, you probably enjoyed the “Winnie the Pooh” stories as a child (and maybe still have a soft spot for them as an adult). So I was immediately intrigued when I saw an article by Jeff Davis titled “The Eeyore Candidate.” However, the title was the only whimsical aspect of the article, which dealt with a BIG problem that job seekers can have–possibly without even being aware of it. What is that problem? ... Read more

This is part two of a two-part series on millennials in the workplace. Read Part One. Specifically, how to communicate across generations – a common issue at the office and during a job interview.  This series was guest written by Aaron McDaniel, the author of the Young Professional’s Edge blog (YP Edge). If you interview with enough companies you are bound to come across an awkward situation or two, yet few are more uncomfortable than when you realize that you are older and more experienced than the person on the other side of the interview table. ... Read more

This is part one of a two-part series on millennials in the workplace.  Specifically, how to communicate across generations – a common issue at the office and during a job interview.  This series was guest written by Aaron McDaniel, the author of the Young Professional’s Edge blog (YP Edge). Most of us have heard of the famous John Gray book Men are from Mars, Women are from Venus. One of the overarching ideas within is that men and women fundamentally think differently. Just like people from different parts of the world, the same can be said for each generation of people; we think differently at a fundamental level.  For the sake of illustration, let’s say that as a baby boomer or Gen Xer you are from Switzerland, while millennials are from Japan. ... Read more

For a while, I thought this business of companies asking crazy, weird and sometimes just stupid-sounding interview questions was fading away. Unfortunately, it now seems to be alive and well. I just read an article by John Zappe, called “Can You Get an Elephant into a Refrigerator?,” that references information provided by Glassdoor.com on this topic. Apparently, Glassdoor listed 25 interview questions compiled from thousands posted on its site by job seekers over the past year, including the one about “How would you get an elephant into a refrigerator?” (Supposedly, the answer was: “Open the door and tell it to go in.” Okay, in my book, the answer is as crazy as the question, unless you’re just trying to tell a joke.) ... Read more

We all get busy.  And as much as I think you will read everything I write, you just don’t.  At least not right away. So today I’ve compiled a summary of reader favorite posts of 2011.  And If you haven’t read them yet, maybe you should since someone else apparently has. And if you get really interested, you can get nostalgic and read the favorite career advice from 2010. ... Read more

Let’s be clear up-front about this. I do not mean you should write a cover letter that makes the hiring manager or other reader leap up from his/her chair and keel over from shock! Getting employers’ attention is critical, but it needs to be the right kind of attention. In other words, it has to generate the type of response you need—most importantly, a phone call that can lead to an interview. Always, always keep that goal in mind when ... Read more

Nick Corcadillos, of Ask the Headhunter, offers advice and opinions that are sometimes controversial, but it appears that when people follow his recommendations, they experience a high level of success. One of his most recent articles was titled “Employer Fined for Stupid Recruiting.” It had to do with a company in New Jersey that was fined under a new state law for placing a service manager ad that said, “’Must be currently employed’ because the company wanted someone ‘at the top of their game and not people who have been unemployed for 18 months.’” Corcadillos also noted that the company’s CEO had spent three years searching through resumes to try to fill the position, which means that all that time they didn’t have someone doing the job. Crazy, right?     ... Read more

I didn’t say this was going to be a happy post.  But sometimes looking at the darker sides of a career, we can learn how to improve it.  Avoid the potholes in the future.  And perhaps build a more stable career and life platform. ... Read more

Securing a job interview can be as exciting as landing the job! Are you prepared? If you haven’t had a bad job interview you’ve heard from someone else who has. There is no guarantee that nothing will go wrong; accidents happen, personalities differ and expectations could be dashed on either side of the table. The best way to increase your chances for success in any job interview is simply to be prepared.

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