The 10 hardest job interview questions (and how to answer them)

Interviewing at Google has become something of a legend in job-hunting circles.

The company realised early on that it didn’t necessarily just want the right person for a particular job description, it wanted the right person for Google.
 Because the company places a premium on employees who will move up within the company, they wanted to hire for the right personality more than the just the right skills for any particular job.

So they started asking some slightly ridiculous questions like, “How many piano tuners are there in Chicago?”

The job has nothing to do with piano tuners (or even Chicago, probably) and interviewer isn’t necessarily looking for the correct answer. He or she is looking for how you get there. Your thought process, your ability to problem solve, your comfort thinking on your feet are all a much bigger indicator of whether you’ll be a good fit at Google than knowing the right answer.

Lots of companies have since adopted similar practices, asking applicants to answer seemingly ridiculous questions or perform wacky tasks as part of the interview process. Here are some of the craziest I’ve heard of: