Dark Motives and Elective Use of Brainteaser Interview Questions

Abstract

Brainteaser interview questions such as "Estimate how many windows are in New York" are just one example of aggressive interviewer behaviour that lacks evidence for validity and is unsettling to job applicants. This research attempts to shed light on the motives behind such behaviour by examining the relation between dark-side traits and the perceived appropriateness of brainteaser interview questions. A representative sample of working adults (n = 736) was presented with a list of interview questions that were either traditional (e.g., "Are you a good listener?"), behavioural (e.g., "Tell me about a time when you failed"), or brainteaser in nature. Results of a multiple regression, controlling for interviewing experience and sex, showed that narcissism and sadism explained the likelihood of using brainteasers in an interview. A subsequent bifactor analysis showed that these dark traits shared a callousness general factor. A second longitudinal study of employed adults with hiring experience demonstrated that perspective-taking partially mediated the relationship between this general factor and the perceived helpfulness and abusiveness of brainteaser interview questions. These results suggest that a callous indifference and a lack of perspective-taking may underlie abusive behaviour in the employment interview.On the hiring side, we found that brainteasers are a complete waste of time… They don't predict anything. They serve primarily to make the interviewer feel smart. (Laszlo Bock, senior vice president of people operations at Google, quoted in Bryant, 2013)

Horse-sized ducks or duck-sized horses? Oddball Personality Questions are likable (but useless) for organizational recruitment

“…Although never published, internal research by Google concluded that brainteaser questions are "a waste of time" (Bryant, 2013). Indeed, conventional wisdom suggests that unconventional questions serve only to make interviewers feel smart (Highhouse et al, 2019) and have little value for selection or recruitment (Speer et al, 2020).…”

“…Unlike brainteaser questions, OPQs (1) do not require analytical problem solving, and (2) are related to aspects of an applicant's personality or biographical background. Existing research has either ignored this type of question altogether (Honer et al, 2007;Wright et al, 2012) or did not differentiate them from their cognitive-demanding counterparts (i.e., 'brainteasers'; Highhouse et al, 2019;Speer et al, 2019). Although there is considerable variability in how hiring professionals are using OPQs in a job interview context for decision making, recruitment research suggests that the use of OPQs could impact job seekers and applicants' experiences during the hiring process, which could have both immediate effects on applicant reactions (e.g., interview motivation) as well as downstream effects on recruitment outcomes (e.g., intentions to apply) (Breaugh, 2013).…”

Telling stories to communicate the value of the pre‐employment structured job interview

“…For instance, Nolan, Carter, and Dalal (2016) found that managers feel that their sense of job-related competence is threatened if they use structured interviews. Instead, managers often prefer unstructured interviews (i.e., interviews without a specified set of questions) to exercise their autonomy, discretion, and power over the hiring process (Highhouse, Nye, & Zhang, 2018;Lievens & De Paepe, 2004). Many managers find the structured interview too rigid or simply not useful (Chen, Tsai, & Hu, 2008;Terpstra & Rozell, 1997).…”

Telling stories to communicate the value of the pre-employment structured job interview

“…For instance, Nolan and colleagues (2016) found that managers feel that their sense of job-related competence is threatened if they use structured interviews. Instead, managers often prefer unstructured interviews (i.e., interviews without a specified set of questions) to exercise their autonomy, discretion, and power over the hiring process (Highhouse, Nye, & Zhang, 2018;Lievens & De Paepe, 2004). Many managers find the structured interview too rigid or simply not useful (Chen, Tsai, and Hu, 2008;Terpstra and Rozell, 1997).…”