Why
Are Manhole Covers Round? - Job Interview Questions
By Jim Davis
You are probably
wondering what in the world a question like that would have to do
with a job interview. Well, you may be asked any number of different
types of questions, and there are lots of reasons.
The "why are
manhole covers round?" question is one I have seen used in
practice interviews, but to be honest, I've never had it asked in a
real interview. If it were, though, it would be basically to find out
several things. One could be just to see how you react to an "off-the-wall"
kind of question. Do you get flustered, or do you keep your cool?
Another reason is to see how well you can think. What your answer is
may not be as important as how you come up with it and how you state
your answer.
Other questions
interviewers will ask you probably fall into five basic categories:
Your
qualifications for the job.
They may ask
something about your grades, courses you took, etc.
Your
experience.
This is one that
worries a lot of teens. They know they don't have a lot of work
experience. What you need to remember is that you have experience,
even if it isn't from a paid job. It could be simply from the chores
you do around home. Or, it could be from projects you've been
involved with or from summer jobs you had or volunteer work you have done.
Your
opinion of yourself.
This is no time to
be bashful or to put yourself down. That does not mean you should
claim to be able to do things you can't do, of course, but showing
that you feel good about yourself and your abilities is a must.
"Dumb
questions."
This is probably
the place where the "manhole cover" question would fit.
Questions like this are to see what kind of answer you will come up
with, and to explore why you answered the way you did. And, as you've
probably guessed by now, these questions are NOT dumb. They are
basically to see how you think.
"What
did you do?" or "How did you do that?" questions.
These questions
are to see how you actually behaved in real situations. They may not
have anything to do with any kind of work you have done, though.
Something you have told about during the interview, or something you
put on your resume will give them an idea for this type of question.
Regardless of what
kinds of questions your interviewer asks, though, you should always
remember this. They are hoping that you will do well in your
interview. After all, their reason for interviewing you is to find
the best person for the job. That person might as well be you.
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