Your greatest challenge

Recently, hit up with more dumb HR questions, I remember one we discussed a while back that irritated many of us here.

I was querried and came up with this response.

What was your greatest challenge, and how did you overcome it?

Well, one morning our engineering group couldn't agree on where to go to lunch.

I quickly determined that we were at an impass.

To resolve the situation, I suggested that we split up the group and go to different restaurants.

Disaster averted, and every got to eat something they liked.

Another well engineered situation.

WARNING:

Don't ude this on a job interview for a position that you really want!

I interviewed for a position that would be out on the oil rigs. The rigs are a little bit of a rough place at times, & the guys interviewing were trying to convey that, & gave me an example of something to be wary of: The guys working might bring in some nudie magazines. Would I have to go to the company man & complain?
I laughed & asked, "what, don't they have the internets?" The guys thought it was funny.

Thats a good one!

I did see a couple of guys fired in the early 90's for it.

I am in a building of over 400 people, 25% female.

They are generally the worse ones.

Go figure.

Take care.....kc

that is funny
my wife was telling me the other day these girls she is over in the office, that came to the HR attention that some of the girls where going around and bouncing thier bellies, or at times walk up to each other then pull thier pants down. hard to believe grown women doing this in a huge corporate office.

My ex-coworker (hey Philip:beer: ) had the perfect one.

We would interview in groups, so we would walk around and ask the interviewee questions about the equipment, while we walked, I would ask questions such as (pointing to a prox) "what's that?"

Then Philip would pop the question.... "do you like seeing my face more then you wife's?", at the time we were working 12-14hrs a day and we were on a 45day stretch.

geniusintraining said:

My ex-coworker (hey Philip:beer: ) had the perfect one.

We would interview in groups, so we would walk around and ask the interviewee questions about the equipment, while we walked, I would ask questions such as (pointing to a prox) "what's that?"

Then Philip would pop the question.... "do you like seeing my face more then you wife's?", at the time we were working 12-14hrs a day and we were on a 45day stretch.

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about 10 years ago went to work at a local fruit cannery as a industrial electrician. Was great money, but we worked 12+ hours 7 days a week 6 months straight then drop down to 8 hour 5 days a week.

at first found the work challenging, great pay, but after 3 years the money, and the work lost iys appeal. went on to bigger and better job

I got asked once "How many jelly beans would fit on a ferry?".

Also, "What would you do if a stranger gave you an elephant?".

Later, I was asked how to cross a round lake to an island in the middle with boards not long enough to traverse the gap. When I told them I'd give the elephant some jellybeans to hold one of the planks, they didn't laugh.

I did not get that job.

MASEngr said:

I got asked once "How many jelly beans would fit on a ferry?".

Also, "What would you do if a stranger gave you an elephant?".

Later, I was asked how to cross a round lake to an island in the middle with boards not long enough to traverse the gap. When I told them I'd give the elephant some jellybeans to hold one of the planks, they didn't laugh.

I did not get that job.

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Since you are interviewing them every bit as much as they are interviewing you, I would have gotten up and walked out at such a ridiculous (i.e. worthy of ridicule) question.

Joe Boxer said:

that is funny
my wife was telling me the other day these girls she is over in the office, that came to the HR attention that some of the girls where going around and bouncing thier bellies, or at times walk up to each other then pull thier pants down. hard to believe grown women doing this in a huge corporate office.

Click to expand...

We had a woman at our company that was showing off her nipple piercing to anyone who would look. She doesn't work here any more.

What was your greatest challenge, and how did you overcome it?

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If you're ever asked that question, try this as a response:

"At my last interview I was asked the same question by a flunky in the HR department. I was supposed to be interviewing for a position in the Engineering Department reporting tho the Engineering Manager. I knew I should really be interviewing with him, and that the HR flunky was standing between me and my opportunity to showcase my talents to someone capable of appreciating them. In a flash of insight, I understood the purpose of the question. The challenge to be overcome was to figure out a way to get past this supercilious gatekeeper! Thinking quickly, I told him that my greatest challenge thus far in my career had been to diplomatically tell an incompetent fool of a co-worker that his conduct was wasting the time of every other member of the department. I decided that sugar-coating the message would an even greater waste of time so I simply told him. Unfortunately, it turned out that he was the Plant Manager's son-in-law. The Plant Manager was not impressed with my bluntness. That's why I'm interviewing here today."

Prior to my first interview after having graduated college, I got my hair cut. The interview went very well and I was hired on the spot. However upon leaving, the interviwer said "and by the way, get your hair cut".

I was interviewing with the local electric utility for a Co-op position and the person doing the interview had brought another student (an arts major I am sure) along with him.

At one point I was asked "If you were a flower, what kind of flower would you be and why?" I started laughing before I realised she was serious. I told her I had never thought about it. I didn't get the job....

godfrey said:

Prior to my first interview after having graduated college, I got my hair cut. The interview went very well and I was hired on the spot. However upon leaving, the interviwer said "and by the way, get your hair cut".

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I also was ask to cut my hair for a job, this was 1970, go figure. I was making $80 dollars a week at my present job, the new one paid $135 a week. I cut my hair.

When I was a new apprentice, I was told to go across the road to the barbers and get my hair cut. (this was in the 1970's)
They told me to put it on the J E Moores account.

I asked the barber for a light trim and a bit of a tidy up.
I got short back and sides nearly down to the bone.
When I remonstrated with te barber he said - Mr Moore pays for the cut - he says what style you get!

We don't have an HR department, so I and my boss take care of interviews for my department. Unfortunately, they gave us one of these lists of questions we have to ask, such as CaseyK's "What was your greatest challenge, and how did you overcome it?" We are both embarassed to ask the questions, we tell the interviewees up front that we don't want to ask them but are required to, and then proceed to re-word and skip half the questions on the sheet.

One of the stranger questions I was asked during an interview was: "If you were at awards show for engineers and they were presentng awards, what award would you receive and what would you say?" I replied that I would be getting the award for best documentation. They wanted to take the next step in the hiring process, but they dragged their feet and I got a job elsewhere.