Top 15 IT project manager interview questions
15. How deep is the deepest quicksand at the equator?
This is not meant as a trick question, but rather a question that will give you a sense of the candidate’s ability to handle the unexpected and come up with creative solutions. Most projects are rife with the unexpected, and the candidate should treat this as such. You’re not looking for accurate answers, of course, but the question should give you a good idea of how the candidate uses critical thinking, logic and creativity to arrive at an answer.
Interviewer tips
You might need to encourage candidates to take the question seriously, although there’s nothing wrong with them having a little fun with their answers. You can easily substitute this question with a similar one.
An example of a good candidate answer
Before I answering, I need some additional information. By “at the equator,” do you mean each quicksand pit must be at exactly zero degrees latitude? Can it deviate off that exact latitude, perhaps, one degree in either direction? Also, if a quicksand pit is near a tidal zone, should it be measured at low tide, high tide or somewhere in between? The same goes for quicksand pits that might be impacted Once I have answers to those questions, I can identify any research limitations. For example, logistical issues might make it impossible to determine the depth of every equatorial quicksand pit around the world. And even if we can determine the depth, we would need to agree on the degree of accuracy that would be acceptable in measuring depths, such as plus-or-minus three centimeters. In addition, we would also need to agree on the acceptable mechanisms for carrying on those measurements. For example, we probably wouldn’t want to rely on old wooden yardsticks like those used in classrooms.
After we’ve ironed out any outstanding issues, my team can determine the deepest quicksand pit at the equator, with the caveat that our results will be based on the known information at our disposal at the time we carry out the assessments. We’ll also need to come up with a contingency plan should political unrest, natural disasters or other unforeseen events affect our ability to access all the quicksand pits on the equator. However, barring any unforeseen circumstances, we will do our best to meet your expectations.