Most people can identify with the situation: your prospective employers are sitting across the table at a job interview. You have prepared for the obvious questions: "what attracted you to the role?" for example, or "describe a situation where you showed leadership potential". But what about the question you didn't see coming? Glassdoor, a jobs and career community that launched in the UK in February this year, have released 25 interview questions based on feedback from thousands of UK job candidates. Scott Dobroski, Glassdoor community expert, said: "These interview questions stood out as challenging. "The job market continues to be very competitive and employers are trying to identify the best candidates. They are not necessarily looking for a right or wrong answer - they are looking at how candidates think on the spot." He said a question like one asked at UBS: “How do you fit a giraffe in a fridge?” was a good example. "The answer might not be squeezing it in, but asking questions like: how big is the fridge?

How big is the giraffe? Can I chop the giraffe up? "They are testing the candidates' critical thinking skills, which means how you think on the spot, how you make decisions in a short amount of time and how you get the data you need to make the best decision possible," Dobroski said. The questions: 1. “If you were to win £1m what would you do with the money?” - Asked at PwC, Associate candidate (Birmingham, England) 2. “What do you think is the most useful function in Excel?” - Asked at FirstGroup, Business Analyst candidate (London, England) 3. kitchen sliding door malaysia price“What makes you happy about work on a Friday evening?” - Asked at Tesco, International Deployment Manager candidate (London, England) 4. external hardwood doors aberdeen

“How do you fit a giraffe in a fridge?” - Asked at UBS, Sales Trading candidate (London, England) 5. “What is it about this job you would least look forward to?” – Asked at BP, Category Manager candidate (London, England) 6. “If you were the Head of Barclays Corporate what would your strategy be with the recent European Crisis?” – Asked at Barclays, Risk candidate (London, England) 7. “If your friend was seriously injured and you had to get him to a hospital, would you speed and go through a red light?” – Asked at Barlow Lyde & Gilbert, Trainee Solicitor candidate (London, England) 8. folding sliding doors malaysia“Would you rather fight a horse-sized duck or 100 duck-sized horses?” – Asked at BHP Billiton, Dry Bulk Marketer candidate (London, England) 9. new front door harrogate

“Tell me about a time when you failed at something.” – Asked at Lloyds Banking Group, Analyst candidate (London, England) 10. “What are the three words that your parents would describe you with?” – Asked at YO! Sushi, Team Member candidate (London, England) 11. “What have you done in the past to get out of a tricky situation?” – Asked at Virgin Atlantic Airways, CSA candidate (Heathrow, England) 12. “Why is 99pc not good enough?” – Asked at Parcelforce Worldwide, Delivery & Collection Manager candidate (Milton Keynes, England) 13. screen door repair mentor“How many ways can you get a needle out of a haystack?” – Asked at Macquarie Bank, Senior Java Developer candidate (London, England) 14. interior door knobs walmart“How would you explain Facebook to your Grandma?” – Asked at Huddle, Sales Executive candidate (London, England) 15.

“If you entered into a room full of people with different interests, what would you do?” – Asked at Ernst & Young, Actuarial Analyst candidate (London, England) 16. “What do you mean by ‘leadership’?” – Asked at Moody’s, Marketing Strategist candidate (London, England) 17. “By what criteria do you judge your own performance?” – Asked at Gatwick Airport, Project Manager candidate (Gatwick, England) 18. “Which football team do you support?” – Asked at Sky, Reporting Analyst candidate (London, England) 19. “What is the main thing that gets you out of bed each morning?” – Asked at Everything Everywhere, Customer Advisor candidate (Royal Leamington Spa, England) 20. “Describe the hardest decision you have faced in the past 12 months.” – Asked at Accenture, Software Developer candidate (London, England) 21. “Who is your biggest hero?” – Asked at De La Rue, Procurement candidate (Basingstoke, England) 22. “Give me an example of your extreme levels of tenacity.” – Asked at ALDI, Store Manager candidate (Chelmsford, England) 23.

“In a fight between a lion and a tiger, who would win & why?” – Asked at Capco, Associate Consultant candidate (London, England) 24. “How would your delegates describe you?” – Asked at Harvey Nichols, Learning & Development Manager candidate (Edinburgh, Scotland) 25. “Do you think the quality of our menswear products are as high as our home department products?” – Asked at Marks & Spencer, Technologist candidate (London, England) Get the latest Careers Advice from Telegraph Jobs The most frequently asked interview questions What to wear to an interview The Importance of Emotional Intelligence at Work Scholars may have coined the term “emotional intelligence” in the early 1990s, but business leaders quickly took the concept and made it their own.According to emotional intelligence, or EQ, success is strongly influenced by personal qualities such as perseverance, self-control and skill in getting along with others. Much has been written about how to improve employees’ EQ, but hiring managers are likely to make better hiring decisions when they look for people who already possess high EQ scores.

At Glassdoor, we see our 2,100 employer clients like Zillow and 1-800-CONTACTS working hard to better connect with both employees and job seekers. Because they know that in order to keep their culture intact and to effectively recruit the right kind of candidates, they need to engage and be open and transparent.Workers with high EQ are better able to work in teams, adjust to change and be flexible. No matter how many degrees or other on-paper qualifications a person has, if he or she doesn’t have certain emotional qualities, he or she is unlikely to succeed. As the workplace continues to evolve, making room for new technologies and innovations, these qualities may become increasingly important.Related: In Business and Love, Emotional Intelligence RulesIn his books, Emotional Intelligence: Why It Can Matter More than IQ and Working With Emotional Intelligence, Daniel Goleman presents five categories of emotional intelligence. To hire candidates who will thrive in your workplace, look for those who have a handle on these five pillars.

Self-awareness: If a person has a healthy sense of self-awareness, he understands his own strengths and weaknesses, as well as how his actions affect others. A person who is self-aware is usually better able to handle and learn from constructive criticism than one who is not.Self-regulation: A person with a high EQ can maturely reveal her emotions and exercise restraint when needed. Instead of squelching her feelings, she expresses them with restraint and control.Motivation: Emotionally intelligent people are self-motivated. They're not motivated simply by money or a title. They are usually resilient and optimistic when they encounter disappointment and driven by an inner ambition.Empathy: A person who has empathy has compassion and an understanding of human nature that allows him to connect with other people on an emotional level. The ability to empathize allows a person to provide great service and respond genuinely to others’ concerns.People skills: People who are emotionally intelligent are able to build rapport and trust quickly with others on their teams.

They avoid power struggles and backstabbing. They usually enjoy other people and have the respect of others around them.Just as it’s important to seek new hires with emotional intelligence, it’s vital for managers and other business leaders to operate in emotionally intelligent ways to meet the needs of today’s workers.Many older workers started their careers at the same companies from which they retired. A job, for many in older generations, was viewed simply as a vehicle for earning an income. Today, however, most workers want more from their jobs than simply a paycheck. Younger generations have seen that the traditional view didn’t always work out, as they’ve watched their loyal older counterparts deal with rampant layoffs and workplace disappointments.While the emotional needs of today’s workforce may seem like a tall order for employers, they're worth your attention. Investing in EQ has brought our company more engaged, committed employees, and we'll continue to put a premium on this effort moving forward.