Never Accept a Job That Uses Brain Teasers in Your Job Interview

Interviews are always nerve wracking and it can be a testing time if the interview is your first. I have gone through this myself and can feel the anxiety and stress a candidate goes through at such times.

Earlier interviews used to have format which were different from what is followed at many offices today.

In some interviews candidates were asked brain teasers and puzzles which had nothing to do with their qualification or the job,an unexpected googly.Candidates who were smart enough to handle it were considered to be adept at facing unexpected challenges.Employer wanted to test the candidates prowess at problem solving,critical thinking capacity,their mathematical skill and their outlook towards work challenges thrown at them and how they handle it under pressure.They also understand the focus and presence of mind of the candidates from such exercises.

In a recent study it was found that Google has stopped such brain teasers from their interview format as they felt it didn’t give them the right candidate and these did not help them to judge the ability of the candidate for the job. They felt it did not serve the purpose of selection process and also did not guarantee success.

Now many companies have understood that the brain teasers were not the answer to the right candidates selection and so have changed the questions to study the behavioral pattern of the candidates. Here the questions are not based on any hypothesis but realistic and practical situations the candidate is going to face on the job. The employer try to get more information about the candidates experience in the field of the job and how he has tackled the problems arising in these kind of situations in his previous experience in the jobs done .

That does not mean these kind of stressful questions have been stopped in interviews but it’s always up to the one who goes for the interview to finally take a call for taking up the job or not.

You should read read this :-what is interview?

We are all familiar with the infamous brain teaser interview question. If you're not, here's an example:

17 people enter an area and there are 3 blue hats on a table. What percentage of people within the room need to touch a minimum of one among the hats?

In this blog post, we'll teach you how to answer these types of questions and avoid an interview nightmare!

You will always want to answer such questions as "I don't know." or "I don't understand. Could you please explain it?" Ask for clarification and ask for more examples (or even tell them that your math skills are weak).

If you get a question like, "How many piano tuners are there in Chicago?" or "If you were a tree, what kind of tree would you be?" just smile and say that the questions are too personal or too silly.

Avoid any questions that seem to test your intelligence or knowledge of useless information. If they ask about anyone in history, celebrities, etc., just say "I don't know." The interviewer might tell you that if he asked the same question to his daughter she would know the answer. Just smile and remain confident saying "I'm sorry, but I can't help you".

Also read :-7 Unspoken Job Interview Rules That Everyone Needs To Know

If they ask you a question about how you would handle a situation, be completely prepared with a ready answer. Instead of just saying "I don't know", just say the most professional and smart thing you can think of.

All in all, never assume anything. Stay calm and show them your ability to remain calm in any type of situation. Tell them your weakness and show them that you're aware of it. You'll normally never have the chance to tell a potential employer your weaknesses at another time, so be sure to take advantage of this opportunity.

Just always remember this: There are no bad interview questions, only bad answers. Good luck!