Six Quirky Questions Asked During Interviews

Competition between candidates for IT vacancies and specific IT roles is at an all time high. As a result, employers can afford to be picky about the IT contractors and IT staff that they eventually choose to fill each position. Companies are now going to astonishing lengths in order to determine the stand out candidate for their vacant role.

Every candidate is familiar with the most common interview questions and, for many, an essential part of preparing for an interview will involve rehearsing answers to standard questions such as; what do you know about our company? Why did you leave your last job? What would you consider to be your biggest strength?

But how would you react if the person interviewing you asked you one of the following questions?

What song best describes your work ethic?

If we came to your house for dinner, what would you prepare for us?

Can you calculate the angle of the hands of a clock when the time is 11:50?

If you could pick two celebrities to be your parents who would you choose?

What is your favourite song? Can you perform it for us now?

What sort of kitchen utensil would you be?

Those are just a small selection of the bizarre questions candidates have faced when being interviewed for a new role. Some questions are designed to test logic and reasoning under pressure, some to give an indication of a candidate’s personality and some questions are designed to test creativity.

Interviewers have a relatively short period of time during which they must make an important decision about which candidate they wish to hire from a selection of seemingly identical applicants. Posing a peculiar question provides a way to distinguish between candidates, assuming the interviewer knows what sort of answer they are looking for. Conversely, candidates can learn a lot about potential employers from the questions they are asked during interviews.

The decision regarding whether or not to include such questions in interviews remains controversial, what do you think? Do obscure interview questions serve any purpose? What is the most bizarre question you have ever faced, or asked, in an interview? Join the conversation on our Facebook page (www.facebook.com/langleyjames) or on Twitter (@ITrecruitment).

To find out how Langley James can help you to streamline your IT recruitment process please contact us on 0845 124 9555 or langleyjames@langleyjames.com

5 Steps to Improving Managers’ Well-Being

Feb 1, 2026 | IT

We recently reported on a study that was undertaken by London’s Chartered Management Institute, that showed the impact that management and leadership has on an individual’s health and well-being. The impact that technology is having on Managers was a prominent theme throughout the results of the study. Here we recommend ways that you can improve the well-being of your Managers and help them to manage the pressures of the role more effectively.