What is the strangest interview question you have been asked?

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joh0472

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I have heard of some strange questions and was wondering what you all have heard asked. I have only had one interview so far and one scheduled in January, but there were no questions asked to me that were off-the-wall or strange. What are some good responses to questions like: If you were a tree what kind would you be? What is your favorite bacteria? If you were marooned on a desert island what 3 items would you want to have?

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actually, this isn't odd but it was odd at the moment in that everything asked was a challenge except a tough one disguised as easy...

What do pharmacists do?

LOL proceeded to answer it and thought i did a good job. then, my interviewer disagreed...i forgot she was a clinical pharmacist...she made me feel really stupid after attempting to answer a few more times. it worked out in the end though. she finally agreed with one of my points and said the question was answered correctly...
 
For the most part, I was prepared for all the questions. For one interview I was asked by a medicinal chemist to describe my background in chemistry. It wasn't difficult. It just wasn't expected..
 
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My advice (if you will take it):

Don't obsess about "strange" interview questions if the school you're interviewing at doesn't ask them. How do you know what kinds of interview questions a school asks? (Drumroll, please) Interview feedback!

Pharmacy school interview feedback located here:
http://more.studentdoctor.net/schoollist.php?type=4
 
This may be a really easy question but it really threw me off. "What does the term accountability of/for (can't remember which) your peers mean to you?" I just drew a complete blank and who knows what came out of my mouth but I'm pretty sure it was the wrong answer.
 
The one that got me was "How will you benefit your community as a pharmacist"

I really stumbled over that one
 
What three things would you bring to a desert island?

I tried to make an innocuous joke which was not well received by my three interviewers. I still got in but am sure glad I'm not at a school that has no sense of humor.
 
My advice (if you will take it):

Don't obsess about "strange" interview questions if the school you're interviewing at doesn't ask them. How do you know what kinds of interview questions a school asks? (Drumroll, please) Interview feedback!

Pharmacy school interview feedback located here:
http://more.studentdoctor.net/schoollist.php?type=4
I'm not obsessed with being asked weird questions, I just want to hear creative answer that have been given or what other students have thought of. With all the stress of the application process it is kind of fun to think abstractly sometimes.
 
I've been asked what my parents would do if i dated an american boy, since i have an asian background. i thought it was pretty weird
 
I've been asked what my parents would do if i dated an american boy, since i have an asian background. i thought it was pretty weird

that is really wierd!
What was the ethnicity of the person asking? Was it a student or a teacher?
 
I was asked what is my favorite movie. I slightly panicked (not really panicked but it did throw me off a little) and my inner nerd said lord of the rings :laugh::laugh: Really the answer would be To Kill a Mockingbird but that was the first thing I thought of
 
actually, this isn't odd but it was odd at the moment in that everything asked was a challenge except a tough one disguised as easy...

What do pharmacists do?

LOL proceeded to answer it and thought i did a good job. then, my interviewer disagreed...i forgot she was a clinical pharmacist...she made me feel really stupid after attempting to answer a few more times. it worked out in the end though. she finally agreed with one of my points and said the question was answered correctly...

i had a similar situation with the same question. i started off talking about retail pharmacists, then on to clinical, then felt like i was leaving out people in research. ended up confusing my interviewer who ended up thinking i wanted to go into research and... well, it took a little while to recover from that one :oops:
 
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i had a similar situation with the same question. i started off talking about retail pharmacists, then on to clinical, then felt like i was leaving out people in research. ended up confusing my interviewer who ended up thinking i wanted to go into research and... well, it took a little while to recover from that one :oops:

I did something similar. I talked about my experience working for an independent pharmacy. Then I told them how my undergraduate research experience really stimulated my interest and understanding in my major. I told them I had an interest in pursuing some research opportunities in pharmacy and they all seemed to take interest in that idea.
 
Strange, but interesting and definitely a tension relieving question:

If you could be any animal, what animal would you be and why?
 
Whats the worse thing you have done?

That threw me off..
 
I've been asked what my parents would do if i dated an american boy, since i have an asian background. i thought it was pretty weird

That is weird... LOL That's like making an assumption that it would even be an issue in the first place.
 
Not strange but totally threw me off especially when the interviewer was throwing questions left and right... then she suddenly ends with "what is your fav book?"

Kinda stared at her for a good couple seconds before answering that one lol
 
I was asked what is my favorite movie. I slightly panicked (not really panicked but it did throw me off a little) and my inner nerd said lord of the rings :laugh::laugh: Really the answer would be To Kill a Mockingbird but that was the first thing I thought of

Yikes, I'm afraid of this question. If I get comfortable, I might spit out my personal honest answer: Snatch.

Awesome movie, but if you've never heard of it, it might throw you off.
 
Not strange but totally threw me off especially when the interviewer was throwing questions left and right... then she suddenly ends with "what is your fav book?"

Kinda stared at her for a good couple seconds before answering that one lol
Good Omens: The Nice and Accurate Prophecies of Agnes Nutter, Witch. By Neil Gaiman. This is the funniest book I have ever read and would love to be asked about it in an interview.
 
Good Omens: The Nice and Accurate Prophecies of Agnes Nutter, Witch. By Neil Gaiman and Terry Pratchett. This is the funniest book I have ever read and would love to be asked about it in an interview.

Good pick! :thumbup: Terry Pratchett is one of my favorite authors.
 
Good Omens: The Nice and Accurate Prophecies of Agnes Nutter, Witch. By Neil Gaiman. This is the funniest book I have ever read and would love to be asked about it in an interview.

:laugh:

I like how random and unusual this is. :thumbup:

Every medical student friend I have always raves about how The House of God is their favorite book and the only "worthy" book to read. I just laugh silently to myself.
 
I would say the only slightly unusual questioin I was asked was whether I would be comfortable living in a small city after living/graduating HS/college in urban SF. On the other hand, it makes sense though why they would ask me that given that it would be quite a change of the environment.
 
Strange, but interesting and definitely a tension relieving question:

If you could be any animal, what animal would you be and why?

I was not asked this but I did have an answer lined up. A leopard. I generally like the big cats, but unlike some of the other species, it is really good at adapting to its environment. It does not have any natural predators and it will eat anything. The cheetah pretty much eats gazelles so if something happens to he gazelle population, they are screwed. Not with the leopard, which will pretty much eat anything.

Good Omens: The Nice and Accurate Prophecies of Agnes Nutter, Witch. By Neil Gaiman. This is the funniest book I have ever read and would love to be asked about it in an interview.
I LOVE that book. I love the Discworld books with Rincewind and Twoflower (they're hilarious). Though I love so many books that I would probably panic and say Lord of the Rings again :laugh::laugh:

If you like Terry Pratchett, I would recommend The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy by Douglas Adams.
 
My favorite book at the moment: One True Thing by Anna Quindlen.

It changes because I find more good books the more I read, which become my new favorites. But LOTR was my favorite after I read it. Thank you, Tolkien, for writing them!
 
Get this everyone; at my last interview I was asked, "why do you want to be a pharmacist?" I felt like saying it was none of their ^%$&? business. What a weird question.
 
Get this everyone; at my last interview I was asked, "why do you want to be a pharmacist?" I felt like saying it was none of their ^%$&? business. What a weird question.

Lol, that would have been priceless... I really would have liked to video tape all my interviews. I did three pharmacy school interviews in 4 days. That was fun. :cool:
 
Oddest question I've been asked was for a civil service position: "We want to get a feel for your sense of humor - tell us a joke?"
 
Oddest question I've been asked was for a civil service position: "We want to get a feel for your sense of humor - tell us a joke?"
Good thing I listen to Blue Collar Comedy on Sirius Satellite. Thank you Ron White
 
I was asked if I swallow, and I'm glad I said yes......just kidding!!!! No weird questions, they pretty much ask you what you expect they would.
 
Hey Sprinkle ! How is school going ? :) How is your bff ?
 
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Hey Sprinkle ! How is school going ? :) How is your bff ?

Hey Cheb, its been going good so far, just enjoying my lasy day off before I have to go back to the grind of sleepless nights and coffee chugging. The bff is doing good too, she is applying to the CLS program at SF state right now. How is school going for you?
 
Drats.

As long as you're not a dribbler, we'd get along just fine.

That was the worst experience of my undergraduate years.

Hahaha! Well, at least she didn't spit it out in distate into a red cup. Did she make a thizz face while she dribbled?
 
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