Employers love tricky job interview questions, but they're actually useless

"If you have ever interviewed for a job, there is a non-trivial probability that you have encountered "tricky" or quirky interview questions. These are questions that are intentionally unexpected, abstract, or only loosely related to the actual requirements of the role. Rather than systematically assessing job-relevant skills, they are designed to surprise candidates, test composure, or signal creativity. Interviewers often defend these questions as clever ways to evaluate problem-solving ability, cultural fit, or performance under pressure."

"The evidence tells a different story. Decades of research in industrial-organizational psychology show that unstructured, brainteaser-style interviews have low predictive validity. They generate noise, not insight. At best, they measure how comfortable someone is with improvisation. At worst, they measure how similar the candidate is to the interviewer. Cases in point To illustrate the point, here are some common examples, ordered from least absurd, or at least somewhat defensible, to most absurd:"

"1. What is your biggest weakness? Nominally job-related, though usually answered strategically rather than honestly. The only rational way to respond is to disguise a strength as a flaw. It is less a test of self-awareness than an audition for plausible humility. 2. Sell me this pen.Some relevance for sales roles, but still an artificial performance detached from real context. Popularized by The Wolf of Wall Street, it reinforces the myth that great sales is about fast talk rather than listening, diagnosing needs, and building trust."

Quirky interview questions are intentionally unexpected, abstract, or only loosely related to role requirements. Such questions aim to surprise candidates, test composure, or signal creativity rather than systematically assess job-relevant skills. Interviewers often portray them as ways to evaluate problem-solving, cultural fit, or performance under pressure. Decades of industrial-organizational research indicate that unstructured, brainteaser-style interviews have low predictive validity and tend to generate noise instead of insight. At best they measure comfort with improvisation; at worst they reflect similarity between candidate and interviewer. Common examples include strategic weakness disclosures and performative sales prompts that distort real assessment.

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