MILA UNIVERSITY

(Formerly known as Manipal International University)

INDIVIDUAL ASSIGNMENT (20%)

BHR3014 - HUMAN RESOURCE MANAGEMENT

NAME: MAMEEZA SHEIKH

ID: 1202221007

COURSE: BBAIB

LECTURER: CHANTI RAN

DATE OF SUBMISSION: 19TH JANUARY 2024

INSTRUCTIONS: Read the CASE STUDY and answer the following questions.

JOB INTERVIEW CHALLENGES OR ODDEST JOB INTERVIEW QUESTIONS

Job interviews are usually very stressful, especially if you have just graduated and are doing
this for the first time. In the job market today, candidates can easily receive advice from a
number of sources, reliable or unreliable, about how to prepare for an interview. Such advice
usually helps young candidates to avoid interview pitfalls and from making common mistakes
during a job interview. Real life interviews are often quite different from textbook scenarios.
Quora, a question-and-answer website, has a list of responses from different individuals to the
question “What is the most bizarre, toughest, or oddest question you have been asked in a job
interview?” From the various responses it received, the following highlight some of the most
peculiar questions put forward during an interview. Akshat Singhal, an astronomer and
mathematician, wrote that he was asked how many pieces a glass tumbler would break into if it
was thrown. On Quora, Akshat wrote he eventually responded with a smile saying he didn’t
know. At the end of the interview, he had asked the panel what response they were expecting to
that question, one of the interviewers said, “Nothing, just your expression!”An executive of a
computer gaming company, Keith Boesky, wrote that in an interview for a summer job with
a major law firm, a senior partner asked him what vegetable he would choose to be if
he could be any vegetable in the world. Kirk Michie, another visitor on the site, wrote that he
was told that “You’ve made a few moves. Are you running away from something or towards
something?” This question may be a potentially insightful one, but it also makes a pretty
significant presumption, and Michie stated that it was asked pretty early in the interview. These
posts indicate that anything can happen during an interview and that it is always helpful to keep a
few important points in mind. First, be prepared. Try to spend some time on the information
related to the job and the company. If you are asked “have you seen the company website” and
you say “no” it shows that you haven’t prepared for the interview or that you are not
seriously interested in the job. Second, don’t criticize your current employer. You should
avoid any superfluous criticism on your current employer to secure a better position in another
company. If asked ‘why you are thinking about changing your job’, an
understandable/acceptable answer could be ‘there is hardly any room for personal and
professional development in my current job’. Third, do not act too desperate; “I just want a job”
is a big red flag”. One should avoid saying this at all cost in a job interview. Fourth, avoid guess
work. Don’t try to guess or figure out something that you don’t know. Simply say that you don’t
know if you have no idea about something.

QUESTIONS

1. Based on a recommendation, managers can use a job profile to formulate job-

related situational, behavioral, and knowledge-based interview questions. Briefly
discuss whether you think the questions from Quora are based on this
recommendation.
Answer:
The Quora questions don't seem to fit with the traditional method of creating situational,
behavioural, and knowledge-based interview questions relevant to a job by utilising the
job description.
Rather, it seems that these inquiries are more atypical in nature and are meant to evaluate
applicants' capacity for original thought, their ability to manage unforeseen
circumstances, and their ability to respond under duress.
The Quora questions are primarily focused on unusual circumstances that might not be
immediately relevant to the job profile, whereas situational and behavioural questions
might be intended to discover how candidates would perform in particular job-related
situations.

For the best chance of writing a succinct and comprehensive response, use the STAR
approach when responding to situational questions.
If the STAR technique is new to you, here is a quick rundown of its features.

 Situation: Give the interviewer a brief rundown of the situation.

  Task: Describe your involvement in this situation. What had to be done?
 Action: What option did you select, or how did you react?
 Result: How did your decision or deed turn out? Ideally, you'll emphasise how the
result would help the team or the employer.

2. What strategies would you use to prepare for such odd questions during job
interviews?
Answer:
Candidates may want to think about the following tactics in order to be ready for unusual
questions during job interviews:

Investigate the corporate Culture: Learn about the corporate culture to determine
whether or not they encourage originality and creative problem-solving. This can assist in
gauging the possibility of encountering uncommon inquiries.

Exercise Creative Thinking: Take part in thought-provoking activities including puzzle

solving, brainstorming sessions, and peer discussions of hypothetical situations. This can
improve one's capacity for quick thinking.

Think Back on Your Own Experiences: Recall instances in the past where you had to
act unconventionally or deal with unforeseen circumstances. When answering unusual
questions, this reflection might offer examples to use.

Remain composed and calm: Work on maintaining your composure under duress.
Methods such as mindfulness training or deep breathing

What not to do
 Avoid answering: When interviewers ask, "How would you get to China without
any money?" you don't need to have a solid strategy, but you do need to respond
in some way. It works better to say, "I'd reach out to all of my friends and borrow
money to buy a plane ticket," rather than, "I have no idea."
  Avoid going too far: Yes, these are ridiculous questions, but remember that
interviewers can be utilising them to learn more about your principles and
character. Therefore, be honest with yourself when answering, but avoid
answering in a way that suggests you would act unethically or illegally.
 Avoid taking things too literally: Answer honestly and consider the question
carefully. But remember to enjoy yourself a little bit with it too.

Interviewers are looking for spontaneous answers. Interviewers aim to observe your personality
and cognitive process by asking unexpected questions. Discuss it. For these surprising questions,
unlike other interview questions, you won't have a prepared response, so feel free to fumble
through your ideas and provide a less articulate than typical response. Avoid being agitated. Try
not to come out as extremely surprised or irritated by strange inquiries; instead, try to enjoy
yourself as much as you can!

3. Do you think it is necessary for managers to create bench-mark answers for

questions like those mentioned in the case? Explain why or why not.
Answer:
For unusual questions, benchmark solutions might not need to be created. These
questions are frequently used to evaluate a candidate's capacity for original thought,
problem-solving, and handling unforeseen circumstances. Setting benchmark responses
could inhibit respondents' genuineness and spontaneity, which would negate the objective
of assessing these attributes.

Managers should make sure, though, that the questions are in some way pertinent to the
position or sector. While evaluations of solutions must be consistent, guidelines rather
than predetermined benchmark answers allow for flexibility and recognise the
individuality of each candidate's viewpoint and method of problem-solving.

An essential component of systems management is benchmarking, or contrasting the

performance of your system with industry norms and best practices. It supports you in
determining your assets' strengths and weaknesses, increasing productivity, and staying
in line with your corporate objectives.