Here are 7 of the craziest interview questions

Here are 7 of the craziest interview questionsHere are 7 of the craziest interview questionsYou network, hit the job boards, send out your cover letter, and finally get the callback. Now, comes the hard part the in-person interview.Knowing how to sell your story to managers means knowing how to handle any curveball they throw your way. At some of these well-known companies, that could mean getting a little out there.Using employer-rater Glassdoors listings, Ladders compiled a list of the seven wildest, weirdest interview questions for you to consult now so youll know your answer for later.How can you prepare?Remember that how you get to your answer is as important as what you say. Stay calm. Ask follow-up interview questions if need be. Employers ask these seemingly random questions to push you out of your comfort zone and see how you think and act under pressure.Cisco What kind of tree would you be?According to Glassdoor, Cisco Systems usesthis question is for senior technical write r positions. As with all questions asking you to speak in metaphor, choose a tree thats reflective of your spirit and representative of your career journey. Your answer should be a conversation-starter, not one that raises eyebrows.When asked by journalist Barbara Walters what tree she would be in a 1991 interview, actress Katherine Hepburn had a pragmatic answer. She said shed prefer to be an oak tree, so she could avoid Dutch elm disease.Whole Foods Market Would you rather fight one horse-sized duck, or 100 duck-sized horses?This is a question meat-cutter candidates for Whole Foods have faced, Glassdoor states. Theres not necessarily a right or wrong answer here.Youre being tested on your problem-solving skills, on whether you tackle smaller-sized problems or bigger-sized problems first.Dell Are you more of a hunter or a gatherer?Best brush up on your prehistoric history of Homo sapiens to answer thisFacebookHow much do you dienstgrad to wash every window in Seattle?This was repor tedly used at an interview for an online sales position at the tech giant. Amusing answers by online users musing over this questioninclude rain can wash the windows, and I dont do windowsClark Construction A penguin walks over who is wearing a sombrero. What does he say and why is he here?An interview candidate who said he was asked this question for an office engineer job at the company said he replied, Wheres the sun screen? Its unclear if this candidate got the job.This could also be a good time to show off your critical thinking skills by asking follow-up questions, such as When? and How did penguins learn how to talk?SpaceXWhen a hot dog expands, in which direction does it split and why?This is the meaty question propulsion analysts for SpaceX face in interviews. The answer, according to physics, is lengthwise. And it may seem trivial, but once you know why and how a sausage splits, youll know how to apply the principles of hoop stress and longitudinal stress to bigger enginee ring structures like submarine hulls and aircraft fuselages.A good engineer would know how to answer this. But as one user on Glassdoor posited, you can have fun with your answer. It expands cooks proficiently where resistance is greater, yet achieves desired results. Much like I will do as a member of your team, this user wrote.U.K. survey If a hippo gets stuck in a hole, how would you get it out?This is a question one worker said they got when they answered the U.K. Association of Accounting Technicians survey. A hiring manager asking this wants to know your creative approach to oddball questions. But if you can figure out the physical logistics to this question, please let us know.What are the weirdest questions youve ever been asked during an interview? Ladders readers are chiming in on The Climb, a new Facebook community we createdfor you to talk about anything and everything work-related - something we dont do nearly often enough.

Too cold Over half of employees fight over office temperature

Too cold Over half of employees fight over office temperatureToo cold Over half of employees fight over office temperatureWere nearing the end of February, which means its leise cold and will be for quite some time. Office workers are still wearing sweaters and cardigans, and some of them have had it with typing away in a freezing office.New research from British heating company Boiler Plan found that 52% of office workers have clashed with colleagues over office climate as you may have predicted, its either too hot or too cold.Follow Ladders on FlipboardFollow Ladders magazines on Flipboard covering Happiness, Productivity, Job Satisfaction, Neuroscience, and moreSome employees have taken matters into their own hands, with 14.5% making a formal complaint to HR. A rogue 12.3% have taken action by doing damage to the office thermostat.The office warsObviously, office climate wars have been raging for decades. There have been fancy methods suggested for controlling office temp, but it hasnt been widely adopted. Its even been suggested that people who are way too cold in the air conditioning during the summer could have a temperature allergy.But your office temperature shouldnt have to make you miserable (even though a study shows that temperature is adjusted more for the comfort of a typical man rather than a typical woman). Theres the Hyperchair, with heating and cooling units built-in.The company Smoko makestoast-shaped USB wired hand warmers, which warms your hands up when you plug them in. And someday, super-futuristic thermal bubbles will be able to follow employees wherever they go.In the meantime, listen to a physiologist on how to keep your body feeling warm and restrain yourself from damaging an old-fashioned thermostat while waiting for your own thermal bubble.You might also enjoyNew neuroscience reveals 4 rituals that will make you happyStrangers know your social class in the first seven words you say, study finds10 lessons from Benjamin Franklins da ily schedule that will double your productivityThe worst mistakes you can make in an interview, according to 12 CEOs10 habits of mentally strong people

10 Secrets of Excellent Communicators

10 Secrets of Excellent Communicators10 Secrets of Excellent CommunicatorsGreat communicators are viewed as successful individuals by coworkers and others. They become go-to people in an organization because people equate efficacy with effective communication. Great communicators contribute more to their organizations and receive more opportunities for promotion and recognition in their careers. There are other attributes, but ten simple communication skills are shared by nearly all effective communicators. Build the Relationship First When a great communicator approaches a co-worker, he takes the time to say, good morning and hows your day going? The effect of the relationship-building forays is incalculable. The speaker demonstrates that, no matter how busy or overextended they are, they have time to care about others. Build the relationship first for successful communication. For even more successful communication, continue to build the relationship in all interactions in any setting over time as goodwill has a cumulative effect. Know What They Are Talking About Great communicators obtain the knowledge, insight, and forward-thinking ability necessary to earn the respect of their colleagues and acquaintances. Coworkers will elend listen if they do elend believe that the communicator is bringing expertise to the table, but will spend time with them if they respect their knowledge and the value that the communicator brings to the conversation. When you think about secrets of great communicators, subject matter expertise may head the list. Think of Bill Gates, Stephen Hawking, Angela Merkel, etc. Listen More Than They Speak Imagine if a manager held a performance development planning meeting with an employee and talked 55 minutes of the hour. This is an egregious example of a manager dominating a discussion, but it serves as a reminder that people are unable to listen if they are talking. Understanding others- and what they need- is a crucial skill f or communicators. When they do speak, they are frequently asking questions to draw out the knowledge and opinions of their coworkers. When you allow yourself to listen, you often hear what is not being said. Excellent communicators use this information in order to read between the spoken lines to understand the whole context of the other person and their thoughts and needs. Focus on Understanding the Other Persons Motives When someone else is speaking, great communicators do not spend the time preparing their responses. Instead, they ask questions for clarification and to make certain that they thoroughly understand what the other person is communicating, focusing their mind on listening and understanding. If you find yourself (and that little voice in your head) arguing, prepping your response, or refuting what your colleague is saying, you are not focused on thoroughly understanding her communication. You have stopped listening and have refocused the discussion on your needs. Use a Feedback Loop Saying, Here is what I heard you say and repeating the gist of the content of the message that they received from the other persons communication uses a feedback loop to check their understanding and to make sure they are experiencing shared meaning. When they check their understanding, communicators avoid miscommunication and misunderstanding, circumventing hard feelings and protracted explanations about what their subject meant. Listen to Nonverbal Communication Nonverbal communication is a powerful voice in any interaction. The voice tonality, body language, and facial expressions speak more loudly than verbal communication or the actual words in many communication exchanges. Communicators know the amount of information that they lose when they communicate via email, phone, IM, or texting. The youngest generation at work may not recognize the importance of talking with coworkers in person. If you want information that is richer and deeper, and for disc ussion and exchange, solid communicators seek out their co-workers. Watch for Patterns, Inconsistencies, and Consistencies In any communication, the opportunity for misunderstanding is ever present. Communicators watch for patterns (is this how their co-worker typically reacts) and inconsistencies (is this consistent with what they expect from this person). If any of unterstellung verbal and nonverbal communication factors are inconsistent or sending different messages, communication failure is imminent. Coworkers tend to listen to the nonverbal communication over the verbal. Immediately Remedy a Personal Issue Using I Language Good communicators take responsibility for owning their own emotional reactions. They use I messages ?to demonstrate that they know that they are responsible for the reaction. For example You really messed up that customer interaction is much less effective and honest than, I was upset watching you interact with that customer for these reasons You-ing a co-worker is rarely effective communication. Communicators will most likely receive a defensive response which makes the communication fail. Delivering an honest I message instead is powerful. Wait to Give Critical Feedback If communicators feel they are going to say anything critical or controversial, they try and wait 24 hours before they say it, send it, or post it to see if they still feel that way the next day. ?Pausing before communicating is an under-appreciated skill of great communicators. In fact, communication will be more powerful and thoughtful if the circumstances are allowed to marinate for a longer period of time. Open Their Mind to New Ideas New ideas live or die in their first communication. Using the other communication skills presented here, you can make a new idea flourish or fail in an instant. Rather than immediately rejecting a new idea, approach, or way of thinking, excellent orators pause and consider the possibilities. Consider what might work i n their organization rather than what will fail. They think about the possibility rather than the impossibilities. Great communicators always listen for opportunities and pursue them with gusto. Build Coworker Trust It is not enough to be a good listener and to draw out the other persons opinions. They will not level with communicators or share their real thoughts if they do not trust them. You gain trust in your everyday interactions with people when you tell the truth- even when its difficult. When communicators consistently exhibit integrity and trustworthiness in their daily interpersonal conversations and actions, they build their communicating abilities even further. If you make the effort to use these ten simple communication skills in your interactions with your coworkers, clients, customers, and other organization stakeholders, you will build your professional reputation. People equate effective communication with efficacy and they value people who can engage others and share meaning.