Every prospective job seeker in Nigeria must have heard tales of employers ask job seekers questions that seem meaningless and unrelated to the job that they applied for. The questions are usually from nowhere, with no direction whatsoever.

These questions can range from “Did you watch the Championship Match last weekend?”, “What do you think about the just concluded election in Adamawa State?”, “How many children do you intend to have, and why?”

What is the point of these questions you might ask? After researching this company for days, is this what you get?

For crying out loud, you graduated with a first class degree and you have more than enough years of experience.

If there was going to be a non-technical question, you were expecting the likes of “Tell me your greatest weakness”.

You might be tempted to think that these interviewers are just bored and in dire need of company or that they already have their candidate and they are just putting up a show.

The truth is that no matter how mundane a question is, most employer want to gain a better understanding of who you are outside your corny rehearsed answers.

They want to know how you’ll fit in with the team culture, the “soft” skills you have up your sleeves and most importantly whether or not they could see themselves getting along with you, especially if you are going to be spending a lot of time together.

Believe it or not, you will probably meet such an employer during your next job interview.

So how do you answer such questions?

There are just three simple rules to follow.

1. Do Not Be In A Hurry To Answer The Chit Chat Questions

During such interviews, you will find your employer asking you questions that range from hobbies to the latest Game of Thrones Series. In some cases you might not be asked a single question that is pointed towards the office or the position for which you are applying for.

Why are your interviewers asking you such questions? What do they want to know? Is this a spy agency? Are they bored? Or just plain wicked?

The truth is that your employer wants to know if you can connect with the team. They want to know if you are interesting. They need to know if you are personable.

Is it possible for them to invite to lunch? Will you embarrass them in front of their client, or would you serve as a friendly, likable representation of the company?

Your employer knows that they might get a better glimpse of your character and personality through some of these questions as opposed to the standard ones.

So don’t skip the small talk or necessarily try to move as quickly as possible back to the job at hand.

Remember, a more casual conversation is a chance to get to know the person beyond the practiced answers.

2. Try your best to keep all answers professional

While trying the interviewer’s question, it would be very easy to flunk your interview at this stage. You could easily flunk the test by being boring or inappropriate. Like we’ve said before, you should be prepared for every question possible on planet earth.

Simple questions like “What do you do for fun outside of work?”Or “Do you have personal interests or passions?” are some of the questions to expect.

No matter the question asked, you should weigh your answer before opening your mouth. Do not in the spirit of being spontaneous give a boring, very controversial or inappropriate answer.

For instance, when asked “What is the name of the last movies you watched?”, telling your interviewer “Big Booobies Getting Pounded” is really not the best answer. Give something classic, fun and most importantly the truth. You do not want to fail the questions that might follow up.

Keep in mind that while your answers should be the truth, there is enough room for you to filter your answers and still be professional. Choose the answers that represent the best of you in the interview.

3. Network, network, network

Some companies go as far as taking prospective employees on an outing as part of the interview, ranging from lunch on a cruise ship to dinner on a private jet. This is basically a chance for everyone else to get to know you and see how you’d fit in on the team.

Make sure you’re not only trying to impress the other employees, but that you’re also engaging with them. Get to know them, ask them questions about themselves. See what you have in common and share what makes you interesting both inside and outside of the workplace.

By letting your guard down a bit and really talking to people. You never know — it just may set you apart from other candidates.

Even if you don’t get the job, you might make a good friend.

Conclusion

Yes, you have the necessary credentials and the highest number of working experience. But remember, everyone want to like who they work with.

So it’s important you let your employer know that you are someone the team will enjoy having around.

Be prepared to talk about personal and professional experiences, no matter where you are in the interview, and hopefully you will pass with flying colors.

What is the most weird question you have ever been asked during a job interview? Let us know in the comment section below

- See more at: http://giftedgreen.com/2014/blog/2014/10/08/how-to-answer-seemingly-useless-and-unimportant-questions-during-job-interviews/#sthash.QpQwQ8vS.dpuf

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Gud one.....Bravo!