How to Answer Oddball Interview Questions, Applying Lessons from Justin Bieber

How to Answer Oddball Interview Questions, Applying Lessons from Justin Bieber How to Answer Oddball Interview Questions, Applying Lessons from Justin Bieber At a job interview, you may be asked any one of the following oddball questions such as If you could be any superhero, who would it be? or If you could be an animal, which one would you choose? Oddball questions will unnerve any interview candidate. Unfortunately, clarifying questions wont help here. If you ask, Whats the point of this question? you may come across as challenging the interviewer. If you ask, Is the goal of this question to test my creativity? youll ruin the fun, lighthearted, spontaneous nature of the question. (And yes, the definition of fun is in the eye of the interviewer!) How do you come up with a winning response? A successful response is less about your choice and more about how you explain your choice. Justin Bieber recently received an oddball question: Interviewer: Whats the top possession that you cant live without?Bieber (digging a phone out of his pocket): My iPhone. At that moment, the interviewer, along with the audience, let out a sigh of disappointment. They expected him to name something sentimental. Instead, his response was quick and ordinary. But he quickly erased the letdown. Bieber continued: Bieber: If I didnt have my phone, I cant keep in touch with friends back home. And my friends mean everything to me. And thats when the audience flashed a smile. Bieber, a superstar musician, cherishes his childhood friends the most, and all he wants to do is spend time with them. Bieber had just delivered the subtle and lasting conclusion: hes likable, friendly, and most importantly, hes one of us. Next time you get an oddball question, think about the conclusion youd like to leave with the interviewer. It could be a message about your capabilities, personality, or your character. Whatever superhero or animal you choose, dont forget to explain how the choice relates to the important message of who you are.