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[trailblazer09]

I just finished a round of interviews and the schools I visited ranged in tacky to professional. I thought I would start a new thread about the dumbest questions the SC, Deans, or Provosts asked you during an interview.

On a recent interview, a dean made comments about how important he thought humor was...He asked me:

Dean: Do you think humor is important?
Me: Yes
Dean: Do you think you're funny?
Me: Sure
Dean: Prove it.

A pretty awkward situation. A pretty dumb question from my opinion. Um, let me see, let me just break out this flower on my lapel that squirts water. 

Also, during my teaching presentation at the same school as above, a student asked me with a disdainful tone...in front of the SC, "Why would you ever want to work here?" At this point, I had fully decided it wasn't for me, but had to come up with a good answer on the spot.

[montrealer]

Easy answer to that student question would be, "I like the skiing in these parts"??

[harsh_critic]

Perhaps the dean thought you were being a bit snarky earlier in the interview. I could easily see you misreading the intent of the humor questions and the dean implying "oh, a wise guy...let's see if he can hang himself...so, do you think humor is important?"

As far as students go...they routinely ask dumb questions. They asked the same question to one candidate coming from a more prestigious school than ours...and it is a legitimate question. Perhaps the tone is off, but you should have had a ready response. You had to have seen something you liked in order to accept the interview. We on the SC want to hear those reasons.

[trailblazer09]

Perhaps the dean thought you were being a bit snarky earlier in the interview. I could easily see you misreading the intent of the humor questions and the dean implying "oh, a wise guy...let's see if he can hang himself...so, do you think humor is important?"

As far as students go...they routinely ask dumb questions. They asked the same question to one candidate coming from a more prestigious school than ours...and it is a legitimate question. Perhaps the tone is off, but you should have had a ready response. You had to have seen something you liked in order to accept the interview. We on the SC want to hear those reasons.

[Post deleted for personal attack]

[madhatter]

So many dumb questions, so little time. I always tried to answer in a positive way, but these are the answers I would have liked to have given...

"So, where do you see yourself in five years?"

f*** if I know. I'm trying to get a job so I'm not living in a refrigerator box in five years. My last job laid me off after five years. Will you guys do the same?

"Why do you want to work here, specifically?"

Do you need your insecurities soothed or something? I applied at a ton of places. I want to work here if you'll offer me the job at a decent salary. The same goes for the place I'm interviewing at tomorrow, and the one I'm interviewing at next week.

"With your background, what makes you think you're worthy to work here?"

It's been my hope and dream to be hired by condescending a**holes so I can kiss their butts until the end of time. It looks like I've found my paradise.

"So... tell me your life story."

If you don't really want to interview me, we can talk about basketball or Battlestar Galactica. I'm cool with that.

"I don't care about your past experience; you have NEVER done ANYTHING like this before. You don't know what you're in for. You don't know what problems you'll face."

Well, I can see you'll be at the top of that list.

[frazali]

I just finished a round of interviews and the schools I visited ranged in tacky to professional. I thought I would start a new thread about the dumbest questions the SC, Deans, or Provosts asked you during an interview.

On a recent interview, a dean made comments about how important he thought humor was...He asked me:

Dean: Do you think humor is important?
Me: Yes
Dean: Do you think you're funny?
Me: Sure
Dean: Prove it.

At that point I'd probably gather up my stuff and start walking out, turn around and say something like, "This interview's done". And then of course sit back down. That's pretty funny.

Reminds me of what one the nuns told us in high school. I can't exactly remember the  context - we were either talking about what to expect in college or philosophy, or about philosophy courses in college. At any rate, the only question on the final was "What is courage?". The student wrote, "This is courage.", and handed in the paper.

[mountainguy]

A friend of mine was once asked during an interview "can we ask you an illegal question?" Without missing a beat, she replied, "Only if I can give you an illegal answer."

[onestep]

Post deleted for personal attack. mods.

I laughed when I saw this.  You were either sarcastically funny or you were responding in earnest, giving harsh_critic's point even more potential merit.  Not to be mean if it's the latter, but I really did laugh, and twice as hard when I realized it could be taken either way.

A friend of mine was once asked during an interview "can we ask you an illegal question?" Without missing a beat, she replied, "Only if I can give you an illegal answer."

Great!  I need to remember this one!

At any rate, the only question on the final was "What is courage?". The student wrote, "This is courage.", and handed in the paper.

The nun story reminds me of the one about the student who turned in a blank final exam with a $100 clipped and a note saying, "$100 =100 points = A."  The student got the exam back with a $50 and a note saying, "$50=50 points = F."

[harsh_critic]

Onestep--the OP was certainly responding in earnest based on the personal e-mail I received from him/her saying:

[Post deleted. Please note: Forum rules prohibit posting a personal message in the forums sent to you privately via the PM system.]

'Nuff said.

[monocle]

This could be entertaining ...

Back on topic though, I had two shockers in one interview:

SC: I think that your research topic is irrational. Why would you bother with this?
Me: Well .. erm .. (internally - then why did you invite me here?)

(later)

SC: I don't like any of your referees. They seem like strange choices to me.
Me: Well .. erm ..

Gosh - how does anyone prepare for questions like these? If they didn't like me, why did they invite me? I was unsuccessful.

[jossfritz]

Two different interviews:
-"What does your work have to do with pirates?" (Asked twice. My work doesn't have anything to do with pirates, not even close).
-"What would you say if I told you to F*** Off?" (I didn't get that job either).

[dalekk]

I just finished a round of interviews and the schools I visited ranged in tacky to professional. I thought I would start a new thread about the dumbest questions the SC, Deans, or Provosts asked you during an interview.

On a recent interview, a dean made comments about how important he thought humor was...He asked me:

Dean: Do you think humor is important?
Me: Yes
Dean: Do you think you're funny?
Me: Sure
Dean: Prove it.

A pretty awkward situation. A pretty dumb question from my opinion. Um, let me see, let me just break out this flower on my lapel that squirts water. 

Also, during my teaching presentation at the same school as above, a student asked me with a disdainful tone...in front of the SC, "Why would you ever want to work here?" At this point, I had fully decided it wasn't for me, but had to come up with a good answer on the spot.

The obvious response is: Who are you?  Michael Scott?

[carebearstare]

Onestep--the OP was certainly responding in earnest based on the personal e-mail I received from him/her saying:

[Post edited. Forums rules prohibit posting in the forums a personal message sent to you privately via the PM system. mods]

'Nuff said.

Double yikes. Harsh_critic, I hope you make it a point to respond to every thread the OP starts.

[oldadjunct]

A couple of years ago, only a couple, I was in an interview for a position that I was invited to (ie, no application) that went something like this:

We are interested in X, please tell us about how you could help.  To which I answered in some detail based on my experience and their knowledge of my background.

The follow up question was, "Well, you know Y is what we are really interested in can you speak to that."  And I could, since it is also a strength and again something that they knew of.

Then, "But you seem more interested in Y than X."  No, I can do, and have done, either happily.

Talk to us about X.  No, Y.  Actually X.  Y?

At which point, because I actually don't give a s*** about this nonsense I said, "Look, you don't seem to know what you want and that makes it very difficult for me to answer your questions."  At which point I ended the interview (not rudely or abruptly, but mostly brought it to a conclusion with pleasantries).

They hired someone with Z background, something not even mentioned in the interview let alone the reason for their invitation to me who lacks entirely Z. 

Now, Z has left and they seem to be back at the top of the alphabet.  Lesson, one good for orals, not every question is well founded, appropriately challenge the question.  Not every interview is well conducted, not every job is worth having.

[luabear]

Back when I was interviewing for grad schools, I interviewed at a school that facied itself quite the progressive department.  Someone asked me "Can you address the extent to which your research addresses questions of homosexuality?".  Ok, I study children under the age of 5.  Clearly they had not actually read my CV.