You’ve researched the company， updated your CV and even stalked the CEO on the social media—and then they go and ask you a question about traffic lights.
　　In order to scout out the top talent， businesses are now throwing curveball questions during the interview process. Asking about seemingly unrelated topics can help give a company a wider snapshot into the person and their life.
　　Penny de Valk Managing Director of people management business said， “Curveball questions can be used to put people on the spot and see how they react under pressure.”
　　And how interviewees answer these questions can provide the interviewer with a bit of insight into how their mind works.
　　Business brains， recruiters and top career experts from around the country have put together the most bizarre questions that have been asked in real interviews—and how to handle them if one is thrown your way.
　　你对这家公司做了了解研究，写好简历，还在社交媒体上关注这家公司的CEO——然后，他们却问了你一个关于交通信号灯的问题。
　　为了物色顶尖人才，现在各企业在面试过程中都抛出弧线球性质的问题。通过向面试者提出貌似毫不相干的话题，可以帮助公司对面试者及生活状态有个大致印象。
　　人才实践管理业务董事总经理彭妮·德·瓦尔克说：“弧线球性质的问题考察面试者回答问题的临场表现，看看他们在压力下的反应。”
　　而面试者如何回答这些问题，可以使面试官从中洞察他们的头脑是如何反应和应对的。
　　下面汇总了商业头脑、招聘人员和全国各地顶级职业专家在真正的面试中所提出过的最奇葩问题。如果面试官向你抛出了这样的问题，那么你该如何处理这类问题呢？
　　How would you interject a fight between Batman and Superman？
　　你怎么给蝙蝠侠和超人劝架？
　　Lee Biggins， founder of CV-Library， said this super hero question may be asked in order to demonstrate how the candidate handles conflict.
　　“Try to keep it relevant to the job role—you’re not being asked how you would handle a scuffle in the pub on a Friday night，” he said. “Focus on the positive attributes of both parties and how you could encourage them to work well together.”
　　简历图书馆创始人李·比金斯说，这个关于超级英雄的问题可能是为了展示面试候选人如何处理冲突这方面的能力。
　　“回答问题尽量与工作职位相关——面试官不是在问你如何处理星期五晚上酒吧里的打架斗殴问题，”他说，“重点在于关注双方的优点以及你如何鼓励他们共同把工作做好。”
　　In a news story about your life， what would the headline be？
　　把你的生活写成新闻故事，你会选择什么标题？
　　“The interviewer wants to gain insight into your general attitude and outlook on life，” said Lee Biggins. “Be clear and to the point， summarising key highlights in one short sentence. The most important thing to focus on is ensuring your answer portrays a positive side of you. Future employers aren’t keen on negative staff.”
　　“面试官想要了解你的生活态度和人生观，”李·比金斯说，“要简洁、重点明确，用简短的一句话把重点突出。你需要注意的最重要的事就是要确保你的答案描绘出你积极上进的一面。未来的老板们不喜欢消极怠工的员工。” 　　What do you think about garden gnomes？
　　你怎么看待花园侏儒这个问题？
　　“Not all questions are serious； a question like this is most likely thrown out to see your sense of humor in a formal situation，” said a spokesperson from recruitment company Pareto.
　　“It is still prudent to air on the side of how it can be related to the role you have applied for， but try to take a not-so-serious approach to it. For example， if you are applying for an engineering role， question whether the gnomes have the right tools to do the job in hand.”
　　“并不是所有的问题都很严肃认真；在正式的场合中，扔出去像这类问题最有可能是为了看看你的幽默感如何。”招聘公司一名发言人帕累托表示。
　　“这个问题在与你所申请的职位有怎样的联系这方面仍须谨慎，但要试着通过不是很严肃认真的方法去进行。例如，如果你申请工程方向的工作，要提出是否有适合侏儒的工具来做这项工作的问题。”
　　What fruit would you be？
　　你属于哪种水果？
　　The interviewer may be trying to understand how creative the interviewee is with this seemingly strange question.
　　Penny de Valk said， “Would you choose a traditional trustworthy option， such as the humble apple？ Or maybe show your travelling prowess by saying a durian fruit？” It provides the interviewer with an insight into your levels of creativity.
　　Depending on the role you are going for this will affect your answer. If you are applying for a creative designer role， the more unusual the fruit， and reason why you chose it， the better. If it’s an accountancy role， maybe you should go with a safer option. The important thing is that you are able to say why so that your personality shines through—that’s what the interviewer will be looking for.
　　面试官可能会为了了解面试者的创造性而尝试着提出这个看似奇怪的问题。
　　彭妮·德·瓦尔克说：“你会做出有传统价值的选择吗？例如甘愿谦卑地做一个苹果？或者说自己是榴梿来展示你的旅行勇气？”面试官通过这种方式来了解你的创造力水平。
　　根据你申请的职位不同，这会影响你的答案。如果你申请创意设计师这一职位，选一个越不同寻常的水果、给一个越特别的理由越好。如果你申请的是一名会计的职位，也许你应该做出更安全的选择。重要的是你能说出原因，从而表现出你性格方面的闪光点——就是面试官所寻找的。
　　What can you make from this piece of paper？
　　你能把一张纸折成什么样？
　　“This is an opportunity for the interviewer to see how creative you are， while working under pressure，” said Penny de Valk， “If you manage to make an origami swan， fantastic！ If， like most， you don’t have such skills—it’s the chance to see what you can create on the spot”.
　　“If you’re applying for a role where one of your main responsibilities is writing， for example a journalist， then you could say that you could make a multitude of stories from that one piece of paper without the help of origami. It’s better to do this than spend half an hour folding it into intricate shapes and feeling totally out of your comfort zone”. 　　“这是一个让面试官看到你在压力下工作还能有多大的创造力的机会，”彭妮·德·瓦尔克说，“如果你能折一只纸鹤，棒极了！如果像多数人一样你并不具备这样的能力——这是当场展示你的创造力的大好机会。”
　　“如果你申请了一个工作职位其主要职责就是写作，例如，当一名记者，那么你可以说，就算你面前只是一张白纸，没有加工修饰过（即不是个折纸成品），你也能写出大量的素材。这样做要比你花半个小时把一张纸折成复杂形状，并且完全感觉走出了自己的舒适区要好得多。”
　　How many traffic lights are there in London？
　　在伦敦有多少交通信号灯？
　　This is essentially a brainteaser to test how you would think through tough questions， said James Reed， author of Why You？ 101 Interview Questions You’ll Never Fear Again.
　　Reassure yourself that no one is going to have the correct answer to the question. It is highly impossible unless you have a comprehensive knowledge of UK traffic lights.
　　Take a breath to gather your thoughts and respond with， “I couldn’t give you an exact number， obviously， but I could make a guess by trying to estimate the number of traffic lights in a square mile based on my personal experience and then taking a shot at the total size of London in square miles.”
　　《为什么你对101个面试问题永不担心？》的作者詹姆斯·里德说，这类问题本质上属于脑筋急转弯类的问题，用这类问题来测试面试者如何思考这类很棘手的问题。
　　安慰地告诉自己，没有人会有这个问题的标准答案。除非你对英国交通信号灯有着全面的了解，否则你是不可能回答出这类问题的。
　　深呼吸来集中精力并做出回应：“显然，我不能给你一个确切数字，但我能以我的个人经验尝试着按每平方英里来估算红绿灯的数量，然后猜测估算伦敦的总平方英里数，给你一个大致的数字。”
　　What color is your brain？
　　你心目中喜欢什么颜色？
　　“Colors are commonly linked to describing a person’s mood，” said James Reed. “The interviewer is trying to gage how you work and whether your personality would fit in well with their working environment.”
　　He added， “There are some colors that represent positive attributes， but always stay loyal to who you are. If you are a passionate person， for example red， then be honest by saying that， always making sure that whatever color you pick is described with positive undertones throughout.”
　　“颜色通常与描述一个人的心情联系在一起，”詹姆斯·里德说，“面试官尝试着了解你的工作方式，看看你的性格是否适合他们的工作环境。”
　　他补充说：“有些颜色代表积极的态度，但始终要保持你自己的风格。如果你是一个热情的人，例如用红色代表，那么实事求是回答即可，一定要保证无论你选择什么颜色都要带着积极倾向的色彩来描述。”