These are 20 of the toughest interview questions - according to career experts

Job interviews can be nerve-racking, exciting and competitive (Photo: Shutterstock)Job interviews can be nerve-racking, exciting and competitive (Photo: Shutterstock)
Job interviews can be nerve-racking, exciting and competitive (Photo: Shutterstock)

Job interviews can be nerve-racking, exciting and competitive, with some employers testing their interviewees with tricky tasks to complete or difficult questions to answer.

The 20 toughest interview questions and challenges that have been posed by UK companies have now been revealed by recruitment site, Glassdoor.

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Glassdoor has broken the interview questions down into four categories - The Bizarre, The Complex, The Thought-Provoking and The Physical.

How many of Glassdoor’s 20 Toughest Interview Questions would you be able to answer?

The Bizarre

‘Tell us two truths and a lie’ - asked at a Holiday Sales Associate interview at AllSaints Retail

‘If you could have a superpower, what would it be and why?’ - asked at Hospitality Team Member interview at Compass Group

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‘What one thing would you take to the moon?’ - asked at a Home & Leisure Colleague interview at ASDA

‘Should you choose to jump from an aeroplane or climb a mountain? Explain why?’ - asked at a Warehouse interview at AO

‘If you won £10 million, what would you do with it?’ Asked at a Finance Graduate Interview at Camelot

The 20 toughest interview questions and challenges that have been posed by UK companies have now been revealed by recruitment site, Glassdoor (Photo: Shutterstock)

The Complex

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‘If you had £50,000 to start up a new company where would you put the money and why’? - asked at a Graduate interview at Admiral Group

‘How many windows do you think there are in London?’ - asked at a Data & Analytics Assistant interview at Association of British Insurers

‘How many taxis are there in Oxford? Derive your answer mathematically, not anecdotally’ - asked at a Research & Publications interview at Aurora Energy Research

‘Is a Jaffa Cake a cake or a biscuit?’ Asked at a Workshop Engineer interview at Barron McCann

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‘Estimate the annual revenue of an outdoor swimming pool’ - asked at a Graduate Consultant interview at Bain & Company

The Thought-Provoking

‘What do you consider a challenge for the world and what do you do to solve it?’ - asked at an Affiliate Marketing Manager interview at Airbnb

‘Name a minimum of 15 qualities that define a great leadership’ - asked at a Candidate interview at Glowing Global

‘What makes you happy?’ asked at an Account Manager interview at Brainlabs

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‘If you were inventing a product based on a fruit, what would it be and how would you market it?’ -asked at an Associate interview at Atheneum Partners

‘How do your friends describe you?’ - asked at a Candidate interview at ASOS

The Physical

‘Build a bridge on a table using straws and cardboard in a team’ - asked at a Candidate interview at ADP

‘Solve a Rubik’s cube’ - asked at a Contractor interview at AlixPartners

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‘Can you make a tower using marshmallows and spaghetti to hold one of these cans?’ - asked at a Customer Service Advisor interview at Argos

‘Play a ping-pong game app’ - asked at a Platform Team PM interview at Ovo Energy

‘Design a car park’ - asked at a Summer Technology Analyst interview at Morgan Stanley

John Lamphiere, Vice President & Managing Director of EMEA at Glassdoor, said, “Employers continue to push the boundaries with hiring practices, presenting candidates with obscure questions and challenges to test their thought process and problem solving aptitude.

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“These questions and challenges rarely have right or wrong answers, rather employers are looking to understand candidates’ cognitive strengths, reactions under pressure and how they may fit into the existing team.”