Five head-scratching questions asked by Singapore job interviewers

In order to better evaluate a potential candidate’s ability to perform under pressure and think on the spot, employers are starting to ask more brainteaser questions in a bid to throw the candidate off their well-prepared scripts.

In January this year, JobStreet.com conducted a survey on 120 Singaporeans, asking candidates to share the most outrageous questions asked during a job interview.

Here is the list of the five most interesting ones.

1. “Assuming that there were three birds perched on a line linking two lamp posts, if one was shot, how many birds are there left?”

This was a question in an interview for a procurement executive position in a finance firm.

2. “The US has manholes which are round in shape but in Singapore it is usually square. Which do you think is a better shape and why?”

The candidate was asked this question in an interview for a manager of community projects position in a social service firm.

3.  “If you have an urgent request from the company to fulfill a job function within four hours, and you are in the middle of celebrating your dad’s birthday at the moment, what will you do?”

This came from an interview for an IT engineer position in a technology firm.

4. “Do you think a doctor can trade stocks better than you and why?”

This was asked in an interview for an institutional dealer position in a securities firm.

Here’s the best one.

5. “Have you ever stolen a pen from work?”

This question was asked in an interview for a manager position for a healthcare firm.

Now, if you were asked, how would you answer the last question?