Chapter 63. Answering in an Impossible Interview

Questions

How would you like to be asked this question in an interview:

"How long would it take to sort 1 trillion numbers?"

Or

"How many planes are there in the sky at a given moment?"

If that doesn't sound like your idea of fun you're not alone and many organizations have stopped asking impossible or seemingly impossible questions; however, there are still interviewers who like to ask them, so I thought it would be helpful to discuss.

First and foremost, if you get asked one of these questions, the interviewer's top goal is not seeing if you know the answer or not, instead they are looking to observe your problem-solving skills. Typically, the best approach is to take a systematic strategy so you can show that you have an organized thought process.

Answering impossible interview questions – case studies

Let's take the first question as an example: "How long would it take to sort...