I sat in airplane seats a couple of times more than I would have liked this week. And this Ultimate Interview Question popped in my head:
Do you recline your airplane seat? Explain.
Ultimate Interview Question
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Great question….I have a couple of more to add:
1. How do you feel about people who cough without covering their mouth?
2. Why is it that close to 50% of men do not wash their hands after urinating? How do you feel about opening a restroom door that has been touched by nearly 50% of the patrons with uncleaned hands?
3. Do you tailgate?
4. Do you believe that its persmissable for food servers to ask if you need any change back?
Bob, those are great. I wonder how people would react in an interview if instead of the mundane, “So what have you done before”" questions they got ones like this. It surely would open up the conversation.
Oh, and I just HATE it when they ask if you need change. I’m glad that my dad is long gone because I don’t think I’d want to be in a restaurant when they asked him a question like that. (Old school Chicago cop. No way.)
I don’t. I’m 6’5″, and when I take a plane trip (the most I’ve flown in a year is about 110k miles), I really hate it when the people in front of me do. I have this irrational hope that if I don’t recline my seat, more people will keep theirs upright. Of course they don’t. I’ve actually had a guy bodily smack his seat to get it to “go back further” – when it was resting firmly on my knees. The only alternative to this is flying first class, which is typically pretty expensive.
…so tell me when was the last time your integrity was challenged?
I wonder how questions like this one stand up in court when an applicant claims discrimination. It might be hard to explain to a judge of jury how these unusual interview questions relate to the qualifications of a particular job.
If I do, it’s only because the guy in front is in my lap and then I only do it an inch or so, so I have more of a feeling I can breathe. With the way the airlines jam seats together to get a couple more bucks per flight, it’s inconsiderate to extreme-lean. We all need to get through the horror of today’s air travel together.
What would it say in an interview? Maybe something on a person’s capacity for teamwork.
Here’s another that is seldom asked, even when it could well be part of the position’s duties:
Have you fired someone? What were the reasons and how well do you now think the termination was conducted?
I like the airline question. It could reveal a lot about whether people think about themselves or others.
How about:
You are sitting in a crowded, noisy office and you have a tight deadline that you are finding it hard to concentrate on. What would you do?
I tell you, that’s THE question to ask when we next recruit (mainly because we have a crowded, noisy office and tight deadlines!).
Michael Moore (producer of Sicko??) raises an interesting point. In many respects these questions are not much different from the seemingly irrelevant questions asked by Microsoft and Google interviewers.
On a more technical note, one may virtually ask any question that they would like during an interview. You just need to be prepared to prove that the question was not used in a discriminatory fashion with a member of a protected class.
Frank: enjoyed your earlier column on ex-pats….I am on a temporary assignment in Belgium and the boost of the Euro has been brutal.
Bob Cenek
What a great discussion.
Alex, I just can’t imagine how you can get into one of those seats. I’m only 5’11″, and I have no leg room. I always feel bad for tall guys who have to endure that kind of torture. And it’s just so amazing that people will try to keep jamming the seat back on you when it’s clearly against your legs. I’m with you on your “irrational hope” that if you don’t put your eat back others will reply in kind. Somehow it never works, does it?
Scott, the integrity challenge question would get the gears going!
Michael, powerful point. I guess questions can’t be based on totally arbitrary standards, but I could stipulate that all candidates are qualified, and we’re looking for that je ne sais quoi. I don’t know how that ever holds up in court. We’ll need to keep tracking your blog to find out! Thanks for that reality check…it helps.
Jay, I do think this one’s about being aware of other people an teamwork. What I always tell my boys is if there’s nothing else I want for them, it’s empathy. To understand that we’re all in this together. To be able to put themselves in some else’s shoes….or airline seat. They’re still young enough…I tell them they can’t put their seats back. It’s my contribution to civilized air travel.
Gina, wow, good one. I never thought about that question but asking about firing someone has import on so many levels. It’s about evaluating, process, and looking at the effects on people. Excellent.
Rob, that’s so funny. We have a loud office, too. I know what we do…we have iPods. And when someone is wearing an iPod, it means “leave me along, please.” But that’s provocative. It would tell about preferred working style, for sure. The answer you get from the young ones these days, though, is “turn it up.”
Bob, great point, And yikes about the Euro. Seeing your spending power go down daily is just no fun. I was in the Netherlands during the change from the guilder to the Euro, and overnight the prices went from guilders to euros. It was 2.2 guilders to the euro, so right away a meal doubled in price. Ugh. I fell for you, man.
Yes, I do recline my airplane seat, but not during take off or landing (the air hostess would kill me!) haha. And yes, i also do not recline while having food. But these seats don't recline much anyways, not to my comfort of getting sleep!!
Raj
Cv interview questions