Be prepared for these 4 curveball interview questions, says HR expert: Here's how

Skip the tried-and-true standards: Tell me about yourself? What are your biggest weaknesses? Your greatest strengths? 

There's nothing wrong with those questions. But when it comes to really getting to know a job candidate, you're better served taking a non-traditional approach, says Jennie Rogerson, global head of people at graphic design platform Canva.

Sometimes, it's necessary. Canva fielded more than 220,000 job applications last year, ultimately hiring just over 1,000 of those applicants, Rogerson says.

If you're a manager, take note: Unconventional interview questions help fend off trite, pre-written answers. By asking something unexpected, you'll get a more accurate glimpse into how a person thinks, what they care about and how they work with others, Rogerson explains.

And if you're a job-seeker, get ready. This approach to interviewing is gaining steam, especially as more and more companies drop educational requirements for job openings.

Here are four questions every manager should bring into rotation, Rogerson says — and how to start preparing for them.

First, Rogerson emphasizes: None of these questions have "right" or "wrong" answers. They're more about learning who the candidate is, how good they'd be at the job and whether they'd thrive in your workplace.

So, before asking these kinds of questions, make sure you're creating an atmosphere conducive to candor. Be transparent about your own career journey, and clarify that people can always come back to questions if they remember something later in the interview.

Then, ask away. One of Rogerson's favorites is a personality-based question that can yield a wide-range of answers: On a scale of zero to 100 — zero being chaos and 100 being clarity — where do you thrive?

"It gives people a chance to tell you ... where they like to operate, which is super important," she says. 

The question is also easy to answer. Off the top of your head, you probably already know whether you prefer the hustle-and-bustle of a rowdy workplace to a quieter, more isolated setting. It's simply a matter of articulating what you need to do your best work.

If someone's interviewing for a creative position, where they'd be spending a lot of time in the chaotic zero to 50 mark, they're probably not the best fit if they say they like working in the more mild 75 to 100 range, Rogerson says.

But that doesn't mean there's no place for them in your organization, she adds. Someone who craves clarity might thrive in a more grounded, stable position at your company — and with a question like this, you have a way of identifying ideal candidates for those roles too.

There's an easy way to ask the world's most standard interview question without actually asking it: Instead of asking for someone's greatest strengths, have them to walk you through the most difficult time in their career thus far.

Phrasing the question differently can help you get a useful response without having to wade through a canned reply. "In that, you're looking for multitudes of different things: personality type, resilience, optimism, adaptability," Rogerson says.

For candidates, your best bet is to focus on what you learned from a moment of hardship. It's tempting and natural to focus on the negative when talking about a difficult time, but resilience is an exceptionally important skill in life and the workplace — so drive it home. 

"I think that [question] gets to the root of who people are in a really quick way. It gives them a great way to talk about it," Rogerson says. "Everyone's overcome something in their career."

Ask a direct question to see what action a candidate has taken towards workplace inclusion: Tell me about a time you've advocated for diversity, or taken a step to reduce bias in any of your workplaces or in your personal life?

"What I'm looking for in that question is: What's the impact of what they did? Did they change their perception? Did they change their behavior — and did it last?" Rogerson explains.  

In that sense, it's simultaneously a personality question — identifying what causes they care about the most — while also measuring how they approach problem-solving in the workplace. 

For any question like this one, which centers on a concrete example, make it clear they have plenty of time to respond, Rogerson says. The first thing that comes to mind might not be the most instructive example, so time and space to reflect is crucial.

That's especially because everyone advocates for change differently — which is worth noting if you ever find yourself answering this question.

You don't need to have started a petition or led a rally. What employers really want to see from a question like this is that you can stand up for your beliefs when they matter the most, Rogerson says.

Finally, Rogerson recommends a feel-good question: What's the kindest thing you've done in the last two weeks?

"[It] makes people smile because it's very different," Rogerson says, adding that the unexpected nature of the question "gives you a real perception of the person you're talking to."

It might catch people off guard — which is a helpful way to give you a snapshot of a candidate's candid thought process.

It also measures an important workplace metric: Research shows workplaces benefit from intentionally developing kindness. When people are shown kindness, they pay it back, usually to someone new — fostering a broader culture of generosity at work.

That's the key to any unconventional interview question you ever ask, Rogerson says: As you're gathering information about your candidate, you're also telling them what matters most at your workplace.

"Candidates are interviewing you as much as you're interviewing them," she says. "You're telling them a lot about your culture, and who you are as a person, through these questions."

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