Brain teasers!
January 7, 2011 11:28 PM Subscribe
I have a job interview next week that will feature one round of brain teasers. Can you please point me to websites and books for help? Ideally they will have both strategies on how to think and actual examples.
From this recent thread, there was a link to a BusinessInsider article "Answers To 15 Google Interview Questions That Will Make You Feel Stupid." It gives you some general types of problems to expect and ways to answer them. From my brief experience interviewing at tech companies (years ago), questions like this do come up, though I imagine they've rotated out these specific examples. Glassdoor has a lot of interview questions as well. And try googling IBM and Microsoft interview questions/puzzles/brain teasers. That's what they're often known as.
posted by jng at 11:46 PM on January 7, 2011 [2 favorites]
posted by jng at 11:46 PM on January 7, 2011 [2 favorites]
They did this to me when I was hired for the job I have now and I've done it in a milder version to new hires. One thing that I think got me the job was when they asked me about a specific engineering problem I had them repeat it, wrote it down, said "I know what this is but I can't answer your question because I don't have the background in this area but I don't need it to do this job and this is why..." I was a little exasperated at that point because it was a) a stupid question and b) not germane to the job at hand, which I knew because I had been doing that exact same job for years and actually knew far more about it than anyone interviewing me. What came across was that I couldn't solve the problem right there but I knew it could be done and how to do it and I knew they weren't necessarily on the right track in their hiring process for a very niche position.
When we throw questions like that at interviewees its as much to see if they will try to bullshit their way through more than it is to see if they can answer the question. Be honest. Verbalize your internal reasoning in trying to solve the problem. Acknowledge specific reasons you can't solve it or if you had more time and resources how you would go about solving, what resources you would need etc. If you can solve it tell them how and reference the class or prior job where you picked up the information. Know enough about the position and the skill set to ask intelligent questions regarding the brain teasers.
posted by fshgrl at 11:47 PM on January 7, 2011 [1 favorite]
When we throw questions like that at interviewees its as much to see if they will try to bullshit their way through more than it is to see if they can answer the question. Be honest. Verbalize your internal reasoning in trying to solve the problem. Acknowledge specific reasons you can't solve it or if you had more time and resources how you would go about solving, what resources you would need etc. If you can solve it tell them how and reference the class or prior job where you picked up the information. Know enough about the position and the skill set to ask intelligent questions regarding the brain teasers.
posted by fshgrl at 11:47 PM on January 7, 2011 [1 favorite]
How Would You Move Mt. Fuji? is a book by William Poundstone on this topic.
posted by blue mustard at 2:44 AM on January 8, 2011
posted by blue mustard at 2:44 AM on January 8, 2011
The kind of brain teasers may also depend on the industry. In general, engineering, consulting, and finance all tend to favor different kinds of brainteasers so knowing the industry of your interviewer would be useful.
If you happen to be interviewing for consulting or finance, the Vault Guide to (finance or consulting) Interviews can be helpful in that regard. They'll run you through some of the common brainteaser types that come up.
posted by C^3 at 2:57 AM on January 8, 2011
If you happen to be interviewing for consulting or finance, the Vault Guide to (finance or consulting) Interviews can be helpful in that regard. They'll run you through some of the common brainteaser types that come up.
posted by C^3 at 2:57 AM on January 8, 2011
Fshgrl has good advice. When I have used these types of question or written these types of question for others to use, it's been more about creating an opportunity for the interviewer to observe how the applicant approaches a problem, whether they get flustered or frustrated, and what steps they take and routes they abandon along the way.
Since most hiring I've been involved with has been for creative or engineering positions, the real thing being tested for has generally been creative (or lateral) thinking skills.
Getting the right answer is less important. Sometimes there isn't even a right answer.
posted by rokusan at 3:35 AM on January 8, 2011
Since most hiring I've been involved with has been for creative or engineering positions, the real thing being tested for has generally been creative (or lateral) thinking skills.
Getting the right answer is less important. Sometimes there isn't even a right answer.
posted by rokusan at 3:35 AM on January 8, 2011
Googling "Microsoft Interview Questions" or "McKinsey Interview Questions" or "Google Interview Questions" will get you a bunch of examples. The book Guesstimation: Solving the World's Problems on the Back of a Cocktail Napkin gives you a framework for many of the estimation problems. Another classic is to test for your ability to get past functional fixedness.
posted by proj at 6:27 AM on January 8, 2011
posted by proj at 6:27 AM on January 8, 2011
When I interviewed for a job with Google a few years ago, I had to answer some questions that were very similar to LSAT logic games. (Adam, Briana, Charlie, Daphne, and Eric are on a bus; no boy can sit next to another boy; Charlie sits behind Briana; et cetera et cetera.) If that's the kind of thing you're talking about, maybe get an LSAT logic games book.
posted by dixiecupdrinking at 10:29 AM on January 8, 2011
posted by dixiecupdrinking at 10:29 AM on January 8, 2011
My place to go for logic puzzles and riddles is Brainden.com, and in particular their forums. I don't guarantee any advice on how to think or how to solve anything, but there's nothing quite like getting your hands dirty and immersing yourself in a puzzle. Those logic puzzles really do expand your mind and the way you think, and it's incredibly rewarding when you finally crack them!
posted by Enki at 2:11 PM on January 8, 2011
posted by Enki at 2:11 PM on January 8, 2011
Here are the Top 25 Oddball Interview Qs of 2010 if you want to practice answering problems.
posted by KLF at 3:23 PM on January 11, 2011
posted by KLF at 3:23 PM on January 11, 2011
This thread is closed to new comments.
posted by quadog at 11:45 PM on January 7, 2011