Englishman &
US woman
READING II
Unusual Interview
Unusual interview questions with hidden meanings.
1 Pre-reading
ANSWERS ON PAGE 45
Read over the interview questions in the
article (without reading the response advice).
What would you say? How would you answer
them? Discuss your ideas with a partner.
2 Reading I
Read the article once to compare your
answers from the Pre-reading activity.
3 Reading II
Read the article again. Then, complete the
sentences with words from the article. Try to
do it without referring back to the article.
1. You should explain how your
parents have you
in positive ways.
2. You shouldn’t let the interviewer
know that you’ve got a nasty
. Interview question: If you won the lottery, what would you
3. You should explain how you’d
some of the
money.
4. The objective of this question is
to see how you’d
out the answer.
5. Square manhole covers could
be down the hole.
6. Dogs are considered to be
outgoing,
creatures.
4 Language focus
The Second Conditional
Look at the extract from the article on this
page, “…If you won the lottery, what
would you do…” The writer has used the
second conditional. Complete the following
sentence beginnings with your own ideas.
1. If I won the lottery, I’d…
2. If I found a wallet in the street,
I’d…
3. If I won a free trip to Paris (all
expenses paid), I’d go with…
4. If I could live anywhere in the
world, I’d live in…
5 Discussion
1. Have you ever been asked any
of these questions? How did
you respond?
2. What’s the most interesting
question you’ve ever been
asked?
3. When was the last time you
went to an interview? What was
it like?
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UNUSUAL INTERVIEW
W
hat’s the most unusual question
you’ve been asked? Interviewers
often pose seemingly ridiculous
questions just to see how you respond…
and in the process, find out a bit more about
your personality. Here are some bizarre So, did I
get the
interview questions, along with our ideas on job?
how to answer them.
GLOSSARY
to pose (a question) vb
Interview question: Who do you like best, your mum or dad? to ask a question
Response: The best thing with this is to explain how both your bizarre adj
unusual / strange / weird
parents are different, and to describe how they’ve influenced to deal with phr vb
if you “deal with” a problem, you try
you in positive ways. to find a solution to it
to frustrate vb
if something “frustrates” you, it makes
Interview question: What makes you angry? you angry / sad / frustrated
Response: Focus on how you deal calmly with situations that to avoid vb
if you “ avoid” something, you don’t
frustrate you. Avoid letting the interviewer know that you’ve do it / say it, etc.
a nasty temper exp
got a nasty temper! someone with a “nasty temper” gets
angry very quickly and easily
to invest vb
if you “invest” money, you use it to
do with the money? buy shares or property with the hope
of making a profit
Response: Demonstrate your ability to make the most of your a goodie n
the hero / good person in a film
opportunities. In particular, mention how you’d invest some of a villain n
the money. the baddie / bad person in a film
to find out phr vb
to discover
Interview question: What kind of Star Wars character would a manhole cover n
a round, metal cover for a hole in the
you be? street. The hole leads to the sewage
system (the underground water system)
Response: Choose one of the goodies and avoid any of the to drop vb
villains. if you “drop” something, it falls out of
your hands
to twist vb
Interview question: How many petrol stations are there? if you “twist” something, you use your
hands to turn it
Response: Of course, there’s no way of knowing this, but the to come up with exp
objective is to see how you’d go about trying to find out. to think of
outgoing adj
someone who is “outgoing” enjoys
the company of others and is
Interview question: Why are manhole covers round? extrovert and sociable
Response: The “correct” answer is that if they were square, you’d sociable adj
someone who is “sociable” likes being
be able to drop them down the hole (if you twisted them a with other people
to tailor vb
bit). Apparently, Microsoft always ask this question in interviews. if you “tailor” something, you adapt /
However, you could also come up with a creative answer. After change it according to any requirements
/ necessities / circumstances
all, it’s a weird question so it shouldn’t matter too much. to suit vb
if A “suits” B, A is good for B
requirements n
Interview question: Are you a dog or cat person? the important / crucial / essential
things that need to be done
Response: This is based on the idea that dogs are outgoing, dressing n
sociable creatures, and cats are more independent. Tailor your a sauce for salads often made from oil
and vinegar
response to suit the requirements of the job. to come across as exp
if you “come across as” nice / serious /
friendly, etc., you appear to be those
Interview question: If you were a salad, what kind of things
dressing would you have? to pick vb
to choose / to select
Response: If you say “oil and vinegar”, you may come across the seat n
the part of a bike that you sit on
as traditional and conservative. But if you choose a “honey and handlebars n
mustard” dressing, you’ll appear more creative and “spicy”. the part of a bike that you hold in your
hands and that you use to control the
direction that the bike goes in
leadership n
Interview question: If you were a bicycle, what part would if you have “leadership” skills, you
you be? are good at controlling / managing /
motivating / directing people
Response: Pick the seat to show that you’re a stable, potential n
supportive person; and suggest the handlebars to demonstrate if you have the “potential” for
something, you have the qualities or
your leadership potential.  abilities to do that thing