Would You Rather Interview Questions might sound like a fun game for kids, but they’re actually a clever tool used by interviewers to learn more about you. They go beyond the usual resume questions and try to understand how you think, what you value, and how you handle tricky situations. Get ready to explore a whole bunch of these questions!
Why “Would You Rather” Questions are a Big Deal in Interviews
Would You Rather Interview Questions are essentially hypothetical scenarios that force you to choose between two often undesirable or challenging options. It’s not about finding the “right” answer, because often, there isn’t one! Instead, it’s about hearing your reasoning behind your choice. This gives the interviewer a peek into your decision-making process, your priorities, and even your personality. They are popular because they reveal more about a candidate than typical interview questions can. So, why are they so popular? Well, for starters, they’re engaging. They break the ice and can make the interview feel less like an interrogation and more like a conversation. Plus, they’re adaptable to different roles and industries. Here’s a few reasons:
- Easy to understand and answer
- Reveal a candidate’s priorities
- Spark interesting discussions
Interviewers use them in a few different ways. Some might use them as icebreakers at the beginning of the interview, while others might sprinkle them throughout to keep things interesting. Some might use them to assess specific skills or qualities. Let’s say you are interviewing for a leadership role. The interviewer might ask, “Would you rather be respected or feared?” Your answer will reveal a lot about your leadership style. The following table gives a few other examples.
| Scenario | What the Interviewer Might Be Looking For |
|---|---|
| “Would you rather work long hours for high pay or shorter hours for less?” | Work-life balance preference, financial priorities |
| “Would you rather work alone on a complex project or as part of a team on a simpler one?” | Collaboration skills, comfort level with complexity |
“Would You Rather” Questions: Ethical Dilemmas
Here are some examples of “Would You Rather” interview questions focused on ethics, aiming to understand your moral compass and how you navigate difficult situations.
- Would you rather lie to protect a friend or tell the truth and hurt them?
- Would you rather discover a major error in your work after submitting it or before submitting it knowing you don’t have time to fix it completely?
- Would you rather be caught stealing food to feed your family or cheat on a test to graduate?
- Would you rather fail a task that’s beyond your abilities, or succeed at a task by taking credit for another’s work?
- Would you rather lose your job for refusing to do something unethical, or do it and keep your job?
- Would you rather work for a company that pollutes the environment but provides good jobs, or a company that is environmentally friendly but pays poorly?
- Would you rather win a lottery but have to donate half to a cause you disagree with, or not win at all?
- Would you rather know when and how you will die, or never know?
- Would you rather have the power to stop all wars but be unable to speak, or be able to speak freely but unable to stop any wars?
- Would you rather betray a friend’s secret to save the world, or keep the secret and let the world suffer?
- Would you rather live in a world where everyone is always honest but often rude, or a world where everyone is always polite but often lies?
- Would you rather save a group of strangers or one family member?
- Would you rather have the ability to tell the future or change the past?
- Would you rather find a wallet full of money and keep it, or turn it in and receive no reward?
- Would you rather see the future and be unable to change it or change the past, but not remember doing so?
- Would you rather never lie or never be lied to?
- Would you rather be the person who discovers a cure for cancer, but no one believes you, or not discover it, but have someone else take the credit?
- Would you rather let one guilty person go free or punish ten innocent people?
- Would you rather be immortal but alone or mortal and surrounded by loved ones?
- Would you rather have all the money in the world but no friends or have no money but all the friends you could ever want?
- Would you rather know all the answers to every question or be able to convince anyone of anything?
- Would you rather be famous for doing good or infamous for doing evil?
- Would you rather live in a world without music or a world without art?
- Would you rather always be right or always be happy?
- Would you rather be extremely intelligent but socially awkward or of average intelligence but incredibly charming?
- Would you rather be able to forgive but never forget, or forget but never forgive?
- Would you rather be completely alone for a week with all the food you could want, or share a small space with someone you dislike for a day?
- Would you rather have complete privacy, even from your family, or have no privacy at all?
- Would you rather live your entire life knowing that everyone dislikes you, or live your entire life thinking that everyone likes you, when they really don’t?
- Would you rather have people always agree with everything you say, or have people always challenge your ideas?
- Would you rather have the ability to read minds but not be able to turn it off, or never know what anyone is thinking?
- Would you rather have the ability to erase people’s memories or plant memories in their minds?
- Would you rather be recognized for something you didn’t do or have someone else take credit for something you did?
- Would you rather always be honest and hurt people’s feelings or always lie and make them feel good?
- Would you rather be poor and happy or rich and miserable?
“Would You Rather” Questions: Workplace Scenarios
These are designed to gauge your professional attitude, teamwork skills, and how you handle common workplace dilemmas.
- Would you rather have a boss who is always right but a jerk, or a boss who is wrong but supportive?
- Would you rather work on a team where everyone agrees or a team where everyone challenges each other?
- Would you rather be given a project with a tight deadline but clear instructions or a project with a flexible deadline but ambiguous instructions?
- Would you rather miss a deadline and deliver quality work late, or meet the deadline and deliver mediocre work on time?
- Would you rather work for a company with a relaxed culture and low pay or a company with a strict culture and high pay?
- Would you rather have a job that is easy but boring or a job that is challenging but stressful?
- Would you rather be promoted to a position you’re not quite ready for or stay in your current role where you excel?
- Would you rather have your ideas always heard but rarely implemented, or have your ideas often implemented but rarely acknowledged?
- Would you rather work with people you don’t like but who are highly competent, or with people you like but who are less competent?
- Would you rather give a presentation to a large audience or write a detailed report for a small group?
- Would you rather spend your day problem-solving or following a routine?
- Would you rather be responsible for a major success with help or a minor success alone?
- Would you rather work in a chaotic startup environment or a structured corporate environment?
- Would you rather be in charge of managing a project you’re passionate about, or leading a project that you have no interest in?
- Would you rather only be praised at work or be paid more?
- Would you rather give tough feedback or receive tough feedback?
- Would you rather receive constructive criticism during a meeting or in private?
- Would you rather be recognized for your team’s success or be recognized individually?
- Would you rather do meaningful work with little recognition or meaningless work with high recognition?
- Would you rather be the expert that everyone goes to or learn something new every day?
- Would you rather be in charge of a project or be an assistant on the project?
- Would you rather be a specialist or generalist at work?
- Would you rather work with data or with people?
- Would you rather work on one project at a time or have multiple projects?
- Would you rather have a job where you never stopped learning or be an expert at everything you do?
- Would you rather work 80 hours per week but get 12 weeks off each year, or 40 hours per week but only get 2 weeks off per year?
- Would you rather be paid in all company stocks or paid entirely in cash?
- Would you rather work at home all the time, or always work in the office?
- Would you rather be able to choose which project you want to work on or have control over when you want to work on a project?
- Would you rather get a huge raise or work from home permanently?
- Would you rather be able to choose your team or choose your role on your team?
- Would you rather work for the biggest company in the world, or start your own?
- Would you rather work for a company you don’t care about with a high salary, or a company you love and have lower salary?
- Would you rather be the highest paid person at your current company or the lowest paid person at your dream company?
- Would you rather have the perfect job but have a long commute or have a job you didn’t like as much but a short commute?
“Would You Rather” Questions: Personal Preferences
These delve into your character, habits, and how you approach life outside of work.
- Would you rather only be able to whisper or only be able to shout?
- Would you rather have a personal chef or a personal masseuse?
- Would you rather have the ability to teleport or the ability to read minds?
- Would you rather be able to speak any language or play any musical instrument?
- Would you rather live in a world where it’s always summer or always winter?
- Would you rather have the perfect memory or always be able to fall asleep instantly?
- Would you rather have a pet dragon or a pet unicorn?
- Would you rather travel to the past or to the future?
- Would you rather be able to control the weather or control animals?
- Would you rather never have to work again or never have to sleep again?
- Would you rather be incredibly funny or incredibly smart?
- Would you rather have a rewind button or a pause button on your life?
- Would you rather have a lifetime supply of pizza or a lifetime supply of tacos?
- Would you rather only be able to wear one color for the rest of your life or only be able to listen to one band for the rest of your life?
- Would you rather live in a house made of candy or a house made of books?
- Would you rather be able to eat anything without gaining weight or never have to sleep?
- Would you rather be able to breathe underwater or fly?
- Would you rather have free coffee or free alcohol?
- Would you rather have the ability to talk to animals or the ability to talk to plants?
- Would you rather be the funniest person at the party or the best dancer?
- Would you rather live in a big city or a small town?
- Would you rather be good at sports or good at playing video games?
- Would you rather never have allergies or never have to shave or cut your hair again?
- Would you rather have only have access to black and white movies or movies with poor sound quality?
- Would you rather be able to stop time or rewind time?
- Would you rather be in perfect health or rich?
- Would you rather meet your heroes or have them read your work?
- Would you rather spend a week in the forest or spend a night in the scariest haunted house?
- Would you rather never get sick again or never be sad again?
- Would you rather have an imaginary friend or an imaginary nemesis?
- Would you rather have a small nose that smells perfectly or a big nose that can’t smell at all?
- Would you rather wear uncomfortable shoes that look amazing or wear comfy shoes that look horrible?
- Would you rather go skydiving or scuba diving?
- Would you rather lose your sense of smell or your sense of taste?
- Would you rather eat the same meal every day or never eat the same meal again?
In conclusion, Would You Rather Interview Questions aren’t just about silly choices. They’re a valuable tool for interviewers to understand how you think, what you value, and how you approach different situations. By thinking through these questions, you can prepare to showcase your personality and skills in a memorable way.