asking candidates how to transport an elephant, a 10-year leak by my desk, and more

by Alison Green on November 7, 2024

It’s five answers to five questions. Here we go…

1. My boss wants to ask interviewees how to transport an elephant

I have recently moved teams into a slightly more senior management role. We have just received approval to recruit two new staff and I am responsible for all leading the recruitment process. This is an area I have plenty of experience in and I feel confident in my skills.

My manager asked to review my interview questions. I was fine with this as it’s my first time interviewing on behalf of this team. He asked me to include his favorite interview question: “If I asked you to transport an elephant from Edinburgh to Bristol, how would you do it?” I laughed as I thought he was joking. He was not.

I am recruiting medical administrators. I explained this question has nothing to do with the role or the job description and is not competency based. I asked what answer he would be looking for and he just said he’s interested in how their brain works. Help me explain to him why this question sucks.

Questions like these — often called brain teasers — used to be popular among some interviewers. The idea was supposed to be for candidates to talk you through how they’d approach solving the problem, thus giving you a better sense of how their brains worked (just as your boss said). It was supposed to be less about the final answer and more about how the person worked through the problem.

Brain teasers have largely fallen out of fashion ever since Google famously stopped using them; they had used them for years but stopped when their own data showed that candidates’ answers weren’t at all predictive of how successful they’d be as an employee. Their head of HR told the New York Times, “We found that brain teasers are a complete waste of time … They don’t predict anything. They serve primarily to make the interviewer feel smart.”

You might show your boss that article, as well as this one going into more detail about Google’s findings.

2. There’s been a leak at my desk for 10 years

It’s a rainy Monday morning, and there’s currently a trash can directly behind my chair, collecting a steady drip of water from the ceiling.

I work on the second floor of a 15-ish story building, and this happens every time it rains. Don’t ask me why this is the floor that leaks, either. It’s just a weird office enigma.

This has been going on since I started here, nearly 10 years ago. They tried to fix it way back then (someone else was actually sitting in this spot in those days). They’ve patched the ceiling various times in subsequent years. They’ve stood behind me and stared at it for a while. But literally nothing has stopped it, or even slightly altered the pattern.

I don’t know the specifics of what they have actually done to try and mitigate the issue, if I’m honest. I just send an email to say it’s leaking agin, and sometimes someone will come look at it. Or not. Sometimes I’ll just have an extra trash can at my desk after a particularly rainy weekend. It’s a big campus. I’m guessing it’s not a priority, or maybe not the only leak.

It’s far enough away from me that it’s not actually dripping on me, or my desk, and we’ve moved necessary office equipment away from that spot. It isn’t actively preventing me from doing my work and I could probably move my desk if I really needed to, though I like sitting next to the window.

Aside from being mildly annoying, it’s not something I can’t handle (I might start collecting the rain to water my plants). But I have reached a curiosity tipping point. So I’m wondering … does my company have an obligation to fix this? What are the rules around stuff like that?

I’m not an OSHA expert, but from what I can tell, this would potentially be an OSHA violation if it leads to water on the floor (a slipping hazard), mold or mildew, or damage to the ceiling support grid. If you want to find out for sure, you can file an anonymous report with OSHA. Be sure to specifically say you’re concerned about employees’ safety.

3. How do I handle a constantly negative coworker?

I work at a small company across from a coworker who I usually get along with. However, she’s often negative, almost like a human Eeyore. She works in a position where she sees the numbers, and sometimes during the slower season she’ll make a comment like, “Whoa, it’s really slow, they’re going to have to lay people off soon” or “I’ve never seen it this low, I’m not billing much at all, how are we going to keep the doors open?”

I’m not naive, I am aware of these factors (and have started low key looking as a result,) but the constant harping on this and griping about other matters is exhausting. What does she expect me to do about it? I really would rather not dwell on it. We are all doing what we can to keep things going. It’s a small office so I don’t want to alienate her, but I also can’t handle the constant negativity.

I’ve tried to say “I can’t focus on that” or something of that nature but she continues. Is there a kind yet clear way I can redirect, or do I just need to try to tune her out?

Sometimes a complete lack of engagement with the gloom will work — meaning that she says something gloomy and you say, “Ah, well. I better get back to work.” Or, “Ah, well. Oh, I wanted to ask you about ____ (insert topic change).”

If that doesn’t work, you can try being more direct. For example: “I find it hard to focus on work after you say things like that. I’d be grateful if you didn’t speculate on stuff like that to me; it really throws me.”

4. Writing a novel about my industry

I have written a novel. It’s completely fictional but it is set in the industry that I work in, and I draw a lot on my industry knowledge to make the scenarios realistic. There’s also some exploration of the challenges of working in that industry, although I’d say overall the tone is positive.

I’d really like to try and publish it but I’m wondering if this could jeopardize my day job. I work for a company that provides professional services — I wouldn’t say it’s a tiny community, but there are a lot of people who recognize my name and know what I do. I’d publish under a pseudonym but I’m not sure if it could still become known. My concern is whether clients would think it’s about them (it’s not) or whether my employer would just see it as a conflict.

I’m considering going to HR, but wondering if I’m overthinking this. Surely people write novels relating to their field of work all the time? If I brought it to HR they would probably want some higher-ups to read it and it’s sort of in the “spicy romance” category and that’s just not how I want to be seen professionally at my day job. Any insight?

Are you revealing proprietary company information, badmouthing clients (even in the abstract), making the field as a whole look bad, or making yourself appear like someone clients wouldn’t want to work with? If the answer to any of these is yes, there’s a high risk of this being a problem (understandably so). Otherwise, though, in a lot of fields this would be a complete non-issue.

To be entirely safe, though, you’d need to run it by your company … but then of course you risk them telling you no. The counter-argument to that is that if you’re publishing under a pseudonym, there’s a decent chance they’ll never hear about it (especially if you consider the fate of most published books, which do not circulate widely). But it’s still smart to plan for the possibility that they will, and at that point the question might be whether you’re better off asking for forgiveness rather than permission. I don’t know without more info, but if you pressed me for an answer, I’d say that given that there’s a non-zero chance they’ll learn about it, life will be easier for you if you get their okay ahead of time, or wait to seek publication until after you’ve left.

Also, how spicy are we talking about? If it’s your typical romance level of spice, I’m not super concerned about that; people are aware romance novels with adult scenes exist. But if sex is the central focus, I’d be more hesitant.

5. Is it OK to disclose a disability during a hiring process to make sure I can actually do the job?

Recently I interviewed for a technical administrator position that would have been 100% office work. I was one of three finalists, but they decided to go with someone else. However, the same company has reached out saying I would be a great fit for a full technical position and I am very interested.

However, the technical position would require a good bit of field work, which can be hard on me as I have a disability. From what I have been told so far about it, I should be able to handle the field work (though I might need a cane or walking stick for support) but I’m nervous about whether there might be aspects to it no one thought to mention, since they don’t know about my limitations.

Normally, it isn’t something I would disclose until hired, but would it be appropriate to say, “I have a disability, what has been described to me so far is all doable but I want to make sure we are on the same page so I won’t be a few days in and realize I physically cannot do the job”?

Wait until you have the offer so that there’s much less risk of discrimination, unconscious or otherwise. At that point, it’s fine to use the language you proposed (although I’d leave off everything after “on the same page” and then describe the limitations you think could end up being relevant). Good luck!

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{ 41 comments }

{ 41 comments… read them below or add one }

  1. Daria grace*

    #1, you can find out how people’s brains work using questions actually relevant to the work. One I got at a recent interview was something like “if we asked you to prepare a report in software you’d never used before, how would you go about working it out?.” Asking nonsensical ones just serves to stress already nervous people out, is incredibly subjective (would an answer that focused on elephant welfare be better than one that focused on efficiency) and doesn’t tell you if they are good at solving problems in ways that would actually align with business policies and priorities. It also risks prioritising people who like debating and arguing silly stuff which may be an unhelpful or annoying trait

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  2. nnn*

    If the workplace in #1 wanted to do an experiment, they could ask various existing employees how they’d transport an elephant (either informally in the break room or more scientifically through some kind of anonymized survey), and see if the answers that people give correlate with their actual real-life performance.

    Is it worth the bother of doing the experiment? I have no idea – that depends on many specific variables I can’t see through the internet.

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  3. Unkempt Flatware*

    In case one gets a ridiculous question like this, answer with, “by getting three quotes from local qualified elephant transport companies and selecting the bid with the best value.” Then stare blankly.

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    2. MK*

      Right? I realize the interviewer wants to find out how a candidate would handle the matter practically, but, as a lawyer, my mind immediately went to the legalities. How is a private company in the UK in possession of an elephant legally? Don’t you need some kind of permit to own one, let alone transport them? Isn’t there trained staff taking care of the elephant, who are much more qualified to handle this? Frankly, my first impulse would be to make sure I am not being an accessory to a crime.

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        1. Ellie*

          We had a similar nonsensical question as part of a team morale building exercise. We were asked to pair off and try to negotiate a contract for the delivery of a quantity of goods. One represented the supplier, and one, the customer. They gave us half an hour for the exercise.

          Being software engineers, who have nothing to do with the negotiation and purchase of goods, we sat down, googled the price of the goods, said, “1 million dollars seems to be the going rate. Shall we say half up front and half on delivery?” and we were done. We had to make small talk for the rest of the time.

          When interviewing though, I just straight up ask what their go-to problem solving approach is. What do you do if I gave you a problem and you had no idea how to solve it. Just straight up ask.

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    3. Free Meerkats*

      “That’s not enough information to formulate a coherent answer. African, Indian, or Pygmy elephant? Adult, sub-adult, or infant? Sex of the elephant? Is it in musth or estrus? Pregnant? Is the elephant trained in any way?” Etc, Etc, Etc.

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      1. Suze*

        Got to say the answers here gives me a fair idea about how the commentariat’s brains work. Maybe it’s a good question after all. I’d hire you, Meerkats.

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    4. Maz*

      Exactly. Contact a couple of zoos and/or wildlife rescue organisations and ask them for recommendations for companies who specialise in transporting large animals, contract with one of those companies and then leave it to the experts.

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      1. UKDancer*

        Yes I think my answer would be the same. Take advice from experts and then get quotes from professionals and contract the work to someone who does it professionally.

        I don’t think it’s a particularly good question.

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    5. porridge fan*

      “I would fold it in thirds, put it in a standard business envelope addressed to the recipient, attach a first-class stamp and put it in the office’s outgoing post tray”. *enigmatic smile*

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    6. Lexi Vipond*

      I would contact the zoo and ask them for advice – but if I wasn’t already working for Edinburgh (or Bristol) Zoo, why would I have an elephant?

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  4. Autumnal*

    Q1, the image that popped into my head was me, slowly cocking an eyebrow, snort laughing, and replying, “One piece at a time.” At which point I’d stand up and giggle/snort my way to the exit door. Yeesh. Ask ridiculous questions, get ridiculous answers.

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  5. Raida*

    For the technical position with field work, *before* the offer I’d say “I’d like to know more about what the field work entails, could I catch up with someone else who’s doing/has done the role to get a better idea of it overall?”

    And then, if it’s gonna involve something that really cannot be done while using a cane (I dunno, farmers walking desktop towers uphill?) you’ll know and you can opt out of the role – still without disclosing the medical information.

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  8. Marshmallow*

    This isn’t helpful, but I once got asked in an interview “where does crude oil come from?” The job had nothing to do with crude oil (although was a lab job so sciency)… my stupid literal brain had no idea what he wanted. My answer was “the ground?” Followed by a blank stare. He laughed and said “ok, yes, technically correct”… and then he did expand the question to get to his point. Which I don’t remember. It was one question during a 4 hour onsite interview process. My literal answer must not have been a red flag. They hired me and I’ve been with that company for 17 years. I’ve never worked with the guy that asked that question though. The rest of the questions were your standard behavior based questions.

    I’ve also worked with an interviewer that likes to ask what you would do if your car broke down on the side of the road. It tells me nothing about the candidates but I do find it amusing to watch people blank stare (which I don’t count against them cuz it’s a silly question)… but like really? You’ve never had your car break down?!?! How?!?! I’ve been stranded on the side of the road so many times! I can’t fathom not having an example story for that question! I would ace it for sure! I am very experienced at “car died on side of road”!

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    1. UKDancer*

      Err I’m not sure what he expects for the breakdown question but my answer would be instintively to call the AA and wait in a safe place for them to come. That’s what I pay them for.

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        1. Yours Sincerely, Raymond Holt*

          Or who doesn’t drive at all, potentially for reasons like a disability which they may not wish to disclose…

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      2. Marshmallow*

        That’s a great answer!

        She’s usually looking for troubleshooting processes and like willingness to ask for help vs doing something dangerous. Really I don’t think we’ve ever made a decision based on that question.

        I’ve not done it the same ever. Once I called a friend to come get me. Once, the car still drove but not fast enough for highway and I was over an hour from home with no cell phone access so I got off on next exit and trolled the town for unthreatening looking people to ask where the nearest car fixy place was. I found an old guy and creepily pulled up next to him to ask my question (luckily I am a small unthreatening woman). He directed me to one and I went there. When I was a kid my mom got stranded and tried to climb the embankment of the highway with her two small children to get to a house with a phone. Luckily a cop saw her and helped. I learned my survival skills from her…

        I have several more stranded car stories but those are fun ones.

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      3. Marshmallow*

        Yes, it’s a dumb question. She’s usually going for like troubleshooting skills and thought processes when something goes wrong but there are so many better ways to ask that. It’s always the last question and we never really use it to actually decide anything.

        I wouldn’t even have a consistent answer for it! Once I just called a friend to come get my passengers and then I called a tow truck and they took me to the dealership.

        Once I was stranded where the car wouldn’t drive fast enough for high way and I was over an hour from home in rural Iowa with no cell phone. I got off on first exit, and trolled the town for a non-threatening stranger to approach for directions to a car fixy place. I found an old guy and pulled up next to him to ask my question. He directed me to a dealership nearby and I went there.

        Once when I was like 4 or so my mom got stranded in the interstate and tried to climb the big hill with her two small kids to a farm house hoping they’d have a phone. Luckily a cop saw and stopped to help, but I learned my survival skills from her…

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      4. Ellis Bell*

        This is my answer too, which would also be delivered with a blank stare. Or at times when I’ve been too broke for roadside assistance “I called a friend” or “I called AA and paid way too much for instant membership because my savings gamble didn’t pay off”. I don’t think it’s intended to be, but it is very much linked to what people can afford to do; not to mention the fact that not everyone drives? I’m sure it feels like a satisfying conversation for the interviewer, but I would leave that interview unimpressed.

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    2. Elf*

      I suspect the blank states are because the question is so unexpected and out of context that it’s jarring!

      Plus, as with the elephant question there are so many factors that could change how I would answer the question.

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    3. Yours Sincerely, Raymond Holt*

      I don’t drive and would be completely thrown by a question about a car breaking down because I’d be trying to work out why they were asking, whether driving is, in fact, part of the role and it was never stated, whether there’s a right or wrong answer, is it OK to just say I’d phone AA, that seems like the “wrong” answer but I have no idea how to fix a car so?

      None of this has anything to do with my job. If you asked me what I’d do if eg a top stakeholder told me they were unhappy with a critical project two days before completion, or a problem that might occur in the role, I’d be fine.

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    4. KateM*

      I’m guessing the country you live in does not require you driving around in a safe vehicle. No yearly checks on roadworthiness or anything?

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      1. Marshmallow*

        Uhh.. no there’s not yearly check requirements. I’ve just had bad luck with cars. My one stranded me 7 times in the 6 years I had it and it was new when I bought it. Basically a lemon.

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        1. UKDancer*

          I didnt know that. I mean in GB after 3 years there’s a mandatory annual basic roadworthiness test which checks the car will run and is safe (I think slightly different in NI). When I buy second hand cars I go to the gov.uk website and can check its history and how many times it has failed the test. I didn’t realise that wasn’t a common thing.

          That’s probably why I’ve never had a breakdown.

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          1. UKDancer*

            Well that and the fact I get it serviced every year.

            Raymond Holt is right, thinking about it. What this question essentially does is find out if people can afford to get a reliable car and keep it serviced or not. So it’s giving a clue whether people have money.

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      2. Ellis Bell*

        Oh I’ve been stranded in cars that had passed their annual MOT. The cars are tested for safety, not reliability.

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  10. Yours Sincerely, Raymond Holt*

    The elephant question may well turn off good candidates, or at least have them starting with a red flag hanging over the role.

    It would make some people worry that the hiring manager is a bit of a douche or that the workplace isn’t very evidence based.

    That said, LW, you sound brilliant and very experienced as an interviewer, so maybe the rest of your interview will balance that out.

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    1. Retired Vulcan Raises 1 Grey Eyebrow*

      I would find this elephant question very useful – as a red flag there are likely to be BS gotcha people and stupid gimmicks there.

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  11. Limdood*

    LW2
    I’d be seriously concerned about retaliation for an OSHA complaint IF the complaint ends up making the business jump through a bunch of hoops/costs them significant money/otherwise inconveniences them in any way.

    Yes yes, retaliation is illegal, especially for OSHA reports. Yes yes it’s an anonymous report…

    But it seems like it’s HIGHLY likely that there is only going to be one suspect for who called OSHA on the business, no matter how justified. It’s also a major headache to deal with a business that might think you are the one responsible for costing them time/money by calling out something they were quite content with ignoring. Despite the illegality of it, there are countless hard to prove or difficult to explain ways in which a business can make the life of one of its employees a living hell if they have a mind to.

    Not that you SHOULDN’T necessarily report this….heck, it could be a major health or structural issue that is steadily getting worse. But be ready to document behavior (in case you need to demonstrate patterns), see if you can possibly have other people use the desk for a time (in order to make it harder for the company to pin down the reporter), and just generally be aware of the possible fallout.

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  12. Size*

    Got to say the answers here gives me a fair idea about how the commentariat’s brains work. Maybe it’s a good question after all. I’d hire you, Meerkats.

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  13. Yours Sincerely, Raymond Holt*

    Interview questions like the elephant one throw up a further question for me.

    My instinct would be to ask a clarifying question, which is how I handle being asked a question that confuses me. EG “That’s a good question. Can you tell me what you’re trying to understand from me with that question, so I can answer it in the most useful way?”

    But I think that would seem difficult to a lot of interviewers, right? Like I was challenging the question? Even if said politely?

    I could just give some BS of an answer off the top of my head. Chances are the questioner has no idea how to transport an elephant either so what the hell.

    The problem is the second, BS answer tells you absolutely nothing about me, and you’ve already incentivised me to BS you with some nonsense.

    The first answer is me trying to be collaborative, helpful, trying to truly understand what you mean.

    But sometimes questions are just seen as rude and challenging even if asked in a very polite, professional tone, and truly motivated by trying to understand what people mean.

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    1. Ellis Bell*

      I think the reason that it can be seen as rude or challenging to question the question, is because you’ve caught them with their pants down. You’re asking what information they’re actually seeking and if OP’s boss is any indication, they don’t really know what information they’re seeking and now they’re in a position of admitting they have no idea what they’re looking for, they’re just poking the interviewee with a stick. The reaction they are looking for is a delighted gleam, expressions that you love puzzles and then to say something that makes them feel they’ve uncovered the real you, in a way that you couldn’t have prepared for, and therefore aren’t lying to them or fooling them. It’s beyond stupid. If they really wanted to know “how your brain works”, they’d ask about how your brain works in the job role, or even your hobbies, or why you made certain career or education decisions.

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    2. Allonge*

      Eh, with these obviously-theoretical questions, it should be more than ok to ask for some clarifications. They want to see how I think, right? I, strangely, need information to make a plan for random stuff.

      That said, I might be too delighted by an elephant mention in an interview, so my first question may be ‘is this something that comes up regularly at this job, are there lots of elephant-related issues’?

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