How would you answer this?

[Rumpus]

"If you were shrunk to the size of a pencil and put in a blender how would you get out"?

I saw this in Readers Digest as one of the 25 toughest interview questions of 2010, asked by an analyst at Goldman Sachs.

 

[KristaTX]

Reach my arms up, grab the edge, and pull myself out. I'd still be tall enough as a pencil, unless I was a short, used-up pencil.

Or at that size I might even be able to somehow tip the blender over by pushing or leaning against one side with some motion, and then just crawl out.

 

[KristaTX]

Or maybe I'd just ask the still full-sized blender operator to please take me out before using the blender.

 

[snowywhite89]

I would check that is was not on and check to see what I had on me and then decide how to use it. If I had a cell phone I would call a person to pluck me out. If I had a rope I would use that.

 

[Temporaryname]

"If you were shrunk to the size of a pencil and put in a blender how would you get out"?

I saw this in Readers Digest as one of the 25 toughest interview questions of 2010, asked by an analyst at Goldman Sachs.

I assume they'd pour me out.

I also assume Goldman Sachs wouldn't hire me.

 

[MomRN]

I get nervous in interview situations, but in a real life scenerio, where I felt like I had the time to think about it, I would ask questions about the question. How did I get shrunk? Did whoever put me in the blender have ill intentions or was it accidental? Is there a lid to the blender? Is the blender plugged in? Is there anything else in the belnder? Etc, etc, etc.

I know it probably sounds silly, but through the course of asking those questions I could come up with a answer, or drive the person asking the question crazy.

 

[FlyingDumbo]

I get nervous in interview situations, but in a real life scenerio, where I felt like I had the time to think about it, I would ask questions about the question. How did I get shrunk? Did whoever put me in the blender have ill intentions or was it accidental? Is there a lid to the blender? Is the blender plugged in? Is there anything else in the belnder? Etc, etc, etc.

I know it probably sounds silly, but through the course of asking those questions I could come up with a answer, or drive the person asking the question crazy.

This is totally the direction I would take. I would ask what size pencil, is the blender on? Am I swimming in something? Because let's be honest this seems more like a question to see if you ar going to try to solve logically for a solution or give up. And more details will help. But by asking the interviewer a lot of questions, you are bound to get a giggle out of them.

You ask a stupid question, you get a stupid answer.

 

[indimom]

Feet on one side of the blender, hands on the other and "walk" my way to the top.

 

[pilotwife_02]

I also assume Goldman Sachs wouldn't hire me.

 

[sistersledge24]

I would either try to climb out, tip it over and walk out, or scream at the person opperating the blender to take me out. I think the tipping over might work best though.

 

[collegejunkie]

hahaha, the banks give ridiculous questions. when my dbf was interviewing over the last few weeks, they asked him a bunch of stuff like this, but not quite the pencil scenario.

 

[TifffanyD]

If i was permanently stuck that size then I'd hunker down and wait to be put out of my misery lol

 

[FlightlessDuck]

Is this a regular, full sized pencil? How big of a blender is it? How was I shrunk? How did I get in the blender? Is there anyone around who can help me? I sit a glass blender? Am I clothed or naked?

There is too little information.

 

[disneyquestions]

I would check that is was not on and check to see what I had on me and then decide how to use it. If I had a cell phone I would call a person to pluck me out. If I had a rope I would use that.

Lets get real here - what pencil has a cell phone??

I have to say, that is a stupid question, and if someone in an interview asked me that, I'd think twice about wanting a job at their company.

 

[NikitaZee]

Lets get real here - what pencil has a cell phone??

I have to say, that is a stupid question, and if someone in an interview asked me that, I'd think twice about wanting a job at their company.

I agree. I probably wouldn't do well at that interview, because a question like that would irritate me to no end and I'd surely make some kind of smart remark about it.

 

[kirbsam]

wait until the dude tried to make a smoothie. swim or climb to the top and just pull myself out.

 

[marlynnp]

Well, since I'd be a pencil I guess the first thing I'd do would be to write 'Help Me - get me out of here' in reverse on the inside of the blender.

 

[kinntj]

My DH responded that he would ask the person if they had a mandatory drug test and that he (interviewer) should march himself down to take one.

 

[snowywhite89]

Lets get real here - what pencil has a cell phone??

I have to say, that is a stupid question, and if someone in an interview asked me that, I'd think twice about wanting a job at their company.

The question said I was "the size of a pencil" not that "I was a pencil". I guess you did not get the job.

 

[Micca]

Goldman Sachs??????? I'd call the federal government and tell them to get me out of it.