Funny Interview Stories

[Guy Berger]

"Let's say I give you 99 numbers between 1 and 100. How do you figure out which one is missing?"

So what's the answer they wanted?

Another nomination for 5050 - sum.

Epithet -- that is the answer the bastards expected. If you want I will forward your resume.

Guy

[Jazzmoose]

That is a stoopid answer. GA Russell's is correct; perhaps he should be running their HR department...

[7/4]

Why were they getting a room together?

[7/4]

Did they use the mini bar?

[7/4]

What color was the carpet?

[Jazzmoose]

Damn; I shouldn't have said "stoopid"!

[rockefeller center]

3 men are getting a hotel room and the guy at the desk says, $30.00 so they each kick in $10. The manager comes back and tells the desk clerk that the room they rented was only a $25.00 room and to take them their change. He figures that rather than making change he will give them each back $1.00 and keep the extra $2.00 for his hard work.

So now each man has paid $9.00 (x3 =$27.00) and the clerk has $2.00

What happened to the other dollar?

Your brother-in-law is taunting you with an apples and oranges trick question combined with a clever choice of numbers.

25 must be focussed, not 30: 3 * 9 - 2 = 3 * 10 - (2 + 3)

Re choice of numbers: Let's assume the room is only a $16 room and the clerk decides to keep $2. He gives them each back $4. So now each man has paid $6 (* 3 = $18) and the clerk has $2.

What happened to the ten dollars?

Edited November 2, 2006 by rockefeller center

[J Larsen]

Here is one that has been used at my workplace:

Two Chinese men meet on the street. The first asks the second how his family is, and the second answers: "They're great. I have three sons. They all have their birthday today. The sum of their ages is 13. The product of their ages is equal to my house number."

The next day they meet again, and the first man tells the second: "I almost have it, but I need one more piece of information before I can tell you how old your children are." The second answers: "Oh, my oldest son plays the violin." The first man says: "Okay, I've got it."

How old are the children?

[Aggie87]

I'm curious to know the answer to this one. Is that actually enough information to make this solveable?

[J Larsen]

I'm curious to know the answer to this one. Is that actually enough information to make this solveable?

Yes, although there is one slightly cheesy aspect to the solution.

Edit: That being said, the cheesy part isn't related to the "leap" you need to make to solve the problem.

Edited November 2, 2006 by J Larsen

[rockefeller center]

Is that actually enough information to make this solveable?

I have the same question.

[rockefeller center]

Uhm, O.K.

[Epithet]

I'm going with 6, 4, 3 because if one of them was 2 things wouldn't be 'great'.

[rockefeller center]

House number = unique? Two of the three boys are of the same age, #3 is older? I'm too lazy to try and find that combination.

Edited November 2, 2006 by rockefeller center

[Aggie87]

House number = unique? Two of the three boys are of the same age, #3 is older? I'm too lazy to try and find that combination.

I was going the "twin" route too. If you consider the available options:

1. 1, 1, and 11 (product = 11)

2. 2, 2, and 9 (product = 36)

3. 3, 3, and 7 (product = 63)

4. 4, 4, and 5 (product = 80)

5. 0, 0, and 13 (product = 0)

But in order for one of these to be the solution, you'd have to have a reason to know there are twins (which we don't), and you'd have to know what the house number is.

edited to include option 5 (youngest two sons just being born that day), though that's probably not really an option, since there wouldn't be a House #0.

Edited November 2, 2006 by Aggie87

[J Larsen]

House number = unique? Two of the three boys are of the same age, #3 is older? I'm too lazy to try and find that combination.

I was going the "twin" route too. If you consider the available options:

1. 1, 1, and 11 (product = 11)

2. 2, 2, and 9 (product = 36)

3. 3, 3, and 7 (product = 63)

4. 4, 4, and 5 (product = 80)

5. 0, 0, and 13 (product = 0)

But in order for one of these to be the solution, you'd have to have a reason to know there are twins (which we don't), and you'd have to know what the house number is.

edited to include option 5 (youngest two sons just being born that day), though that's probably not really an option, since there wouldn't be a House #0.

I just PM'ed you about this w/ a clue... you are getting warmish. If everyone else wants a clue, I'll post it.

[J Larsen]

BTW, imagine being some poor sap right out of grad school trying to work this out on a blackboard in an interview... that's what's in store for my victim this afternoon...

Where is the evil laughter smilie?

[Epithet]

Well at least that won't get you any false positives.

[J Larsen]

Consider me zinged!

[Epithet]

Unless they read the first few pages of that book that has the answer to (a variant of) this, and can act.

Edited November 2, 2006 by Epithet

[Big Al]

I was asked this one: "How many gas stations are there in Canada?"

Is that what y'all call Tim Horton's now?

[J Larsen]

Unless they read the first few pages of that book that has the answer to (a variant of) this, and can act.

In the past when this has been used, we've sort of talked them through it... we're not quite that cruel. I didn't have the heart to bring this up.

[J Larsen]

Aggie solved the puzzle!

[Aggie87]

Definitely not without some clues!

That's quite a good challenge there. Those can be fun or frustrating, if you can't find that one bridge to the solution.

[(BB)]

3 men are getting a hotel room and the guy at the desk says, $30.00 so they each kick in $10. The manager comes back and tells the desk clerk that the room they rented was only a $25.00 room and to take them their change. He figures that rather than making change he will give them each back $1.00 and keep the extra $2.00 for his hard work.

So now each man has paid $9.00 (x3 =$27.00) and the clerk has $2.00

What happened to the other dollar?

Your brother-in-law is taunting you with an apples and oranges trick question combined with a clever choice of numbers.

25 must be focussed, not 30: 3 * 9 - 2 = 3 * 10 - (2 + 3)

Re choice of numbers: Let's assume the room is only a $16 room and the clerk decides to keep $2. He gives them each back $4. So now each man has paid $6 (* 3 = $18) and the clerk has $2.

What happened to the ten dollars?

Yea, well you start shackin' up with a guys little sister and they got to mess with you any way they can. At least now I can finally honestly say that I understand this puzzle. He has tons of these that he uses on his students. Most of them the trick is in the story, so I tend not to embarrass myself to bad on those.

Thanks for all the help.