面试技巧：如何回答面试官提出的奇怪问题

Interview questions should be fair and designed to find out if you can do the job - but in reality， candidates can be asked some very odd things. While you can't predict what questions you will be asked， you can prepare by developing a strategy for answering them.

面试的目的是检测面试人是否有能力胜任这份工作，然而，当面试人接受面试时，可能会遇到一些奇怪的提问，虽然这些问题很难预计到，然而，你可以有相应的策略去迎接那些奇怪的面试问题。
‘Your answers might not reveal how well you will perform in the role - but they do give an indication of how well you cope under pressure and if you can think on your feet，’says John Lees， career coach and author of “Just the Job！”.
《如此工作》的作者，职业策划人约翰.李斯讲过：“不用大脑想也知道，面试官不希望你一定你能证明你有多能胜任工作，但是你希望看到你在面对工作压力时如何反应。”

What kind of questions can you expect ？
能预计到的面试问题
Questions like “What are your strengths and weaknesses？” are difficult， but not surprising. Brain teaser questions tend to be unexpected and challenge you to think laterally. In theory， you could be asked anything， but certain roles attract particular types of questions.

面试中，类似于“你的优点和缺点是什么？”的问题很难回答，但是这样的问题不足为奇。面试中那些类似于脑筋急转弯的问题很难预测，挑战你的思考能力。理论上讲，你可能被问及任何问题，但是问这些问题的目的就那么几个。
‘Some seemingly strange questions are actually related to the role， for example， “How would you sell me this water cooler？”’explain John. ‘If you’re going for a sales job or one that requires improvisation or quick thinking， the question is not totally unexpected.’
“一些问题看似很奇怪，却万变不离其宗。比如说‘你如何想我推销这个饮水机？’如果你是想求得一份销售类工作，或是需要即兴演讲或需要敏捷反应的工作，类似于这样的问题不是不能预测的。
If the role demands quick approximation skills， don't be surprised if your maths skills are put to the test. This might be posed as a simple calculation or you could be asked something more lateral， like how many tennis balls fit into a Mini.
如果面试官想考察你的商业估算能力，那么考察你数学怎样就是很自然的事。有可能会让你做一个简单地运算，也有可能问的很有策略，比如，你可迷你车里面可与装多少个网球。
Interviewers often pose “what if？” questions which are entirely work-related.John explains： ‘So if you were up for a hotel receptionist job， you might well have to answer the question “How would you handle an angry customer who refuses to pay his bill？”’
面试中，面试官可能会提一些与工作相关的，类似于“如果….怎样“的问题。约翰解释道：“如果你事在面试一份宾馆前台的工作，你可能会要求回答‘如果你遇到一个客人很生气，拒绝付房费，你应该怎么办？’”
Also be prepared for a seemingly throwaway question at the end of the interview. Questions like “What three things would you take to a desert island？” are designed to reveal something of your personality.
面试快结束的时候，要对一些看似漫不经心的问题有所准备。比如“如果要去沙漠，你会带那三件东西？”类似于这种问题时考察你的责任心。
John says： ‘As will all these type of questions， stay calm and give you answer along with your reasoning behind it - keeping it light and friendly.’
约翰说道：“在回答问题时，保持冷静，在回答完为什么时，加上理由，整个面试要显示出自己不紧张和友好。”

How to answer these questions
这些问题如何回答
‘The main skills being tested by brain-teaser questions are problem-solving and creative thinking - and while there's no right or wrong answer as such， there are good and bad ways to handle them，' says Rob Williams， a chartered occupational psychologist and author of “Brilliant Verbal Reasoning Tests”.
《言语推理测试》的作者，特约心理学家罗布.威廉斯讲到：“那些类似于脑筋急转弯的问题主要考察解决问题的能力和创造思维的能力。这些问题是没有正确答案或是错误答案的，只有你回答得好不好的判断。”
‘The most famous brain-teaser question is， “Why are man-hole covers round？” A good strategy is to rephrase the question. So try explaining， “Why aren’t man-hole covers square or rectangular？”Think about what would happen if you lifted the cover up， turned it sideways and dropped it diagonally through the hole. This actually gives you the answer since a round man-hole cover won’t fall through its hole！’
“最经典的脑筋急转弯问题是为什么下水道井盖是圆的呢？“回答类似问题的策越是先换一种方式复述问题，‘为什么不能做成方的或矩形的呢？’试想一下，当打开井盖，将它转到对角，再盖上去，这时井盖可能盖不下去，所以井盖要做成圆形。”
Other types of brain teaser question are more open-ended.‘You might be asked for an estimate， but don’t simply answer with a figure off the top of your head，’ warns Rob. For example， if you were asked， “How many tennis balls could a Mini car carry？” Rob recommends using the following three steps to answer the question (which works for any sort of brain teaser question).
其他的脑筋急转弯问题答案就很多了。“你可能会被要求估算什么，不要想着一定要有个确切的数字。”罗布解释道：“比如说问你一部迷你汽车可以装多少个网球之类的问题。”罗布推荐用一下三步回答（也适合其他的脑筋急转弯问题）
1. Repeat back the question slowly. Reflect upon each part of the question and give your immediate thoughts/ideas. Then you can go through saying how you are going to answer the question and why you have decided to do it that way.
1. 慢慢复述提出的问题。想清楚问题的每个细节，然后迅速作答。作答的套路是，先回答要怎样处理这样的问题，然后解释为什么这样处理。
2. Break the question down into parts then give an estimate of the number that would fit into a bucket. Then break down the different spaces in a Mini into say， front of car， back of car， in the boot， on the roof. Then all you have to do is to estimate how many buckets would fit into each of these four spaces.
2． 将问题拆开，先估算一个桶里能放多少网球，然后将迷你车的空间做个划分：车前、后、尾箱、车顶。最好你要做的事估计在车的四个空间里可以装多少个桶就好了。
3. Typically some clarification of the question will be allowed. This does not mean that you should criticise the question - or say that it is impossible to answer！ What you will not be given is any guidance about how to answer or how “good” your answer is.
3. 对一些问题作出澄清是允许的，但不是说你需要去评论面试官的问题怎样，或是说这个问题是不可能回答的。关于类似面试问题时没有一个教材可以告诉你怎样回答类似的问题，和怎样回答好类似的问题

Some final tips to remember
一些提示
- You are being tested on thinking creatively when put under pressure. Feel free to spend time thinking through your answer.
—面试官想测试的是你在面试压力下的创造力。 你可以充分思考，不要有压力。
- Talk through your reasoning as you go since it is how you get to the answer and not the answer itself which is of interest to the interviewer. Any brain teaser question requires thinking through several stages of reasoning.
—给出答案的同时交代你推理的过程，要知道面试官对答案的本身是不感兴趣的。任何脑经急转弯的问题都是有几个推理阶段的。
- It's thinking outside of the box that's needed so aim to come up with some unusual lines of thinking.
—跳出固定思维模式，需要你有一些不同寻常的观点。
- Don't panic when you first hear a brain-teaser question. You have plenty of time to answer and after you think it through the question probably isn't as tricky as it sounds！
—当你第一次被问及脑筋急转弯问题时，不要慌张。你有足够的时间供你思考，当你想明白了，也许你也不会觉得这些问题奇怪了。
- If you do feel stuck then change your focus to probing your interviewer for more information on the question. Even if the interviewer refuses to give anything away， it is always worth showing that you have and creative-thinking skills.
—如果你怎都没有头绪，转变策略，向面试官寻求更多的信息。即使面试官不给你任何提示，也你的做法也向他们证明了你有批判性的思维和创造性的思维能力。

（实习编辑：于晓伟）