In a job interview, expect the unexpected

"Unusual questions are becoming more popular with interviewers", says Lynne Sarikas, director of the MBA Career Center at Northeastern University's business school. "While we've all heard stories of the Microsoft interview questions (why is a manhole cover round? etc.), more employers are using non-standard questions in their interviews."

Here are some thoughts from Sarikas:

- While not everyone answers it well, everyone should be prepared to answer the "tell me about yourself" and "what are your strengths and weaknesses" questions.

- Interviewers will use unusual questions to assess how well you think on your feet. While most of these questions do not have right and wrong answers, they demonstrate quick thinking, poise, creativity and even a sense of humor.

- There is no way to be prepared for "off the wall" questions, so the interviewer observes how well you respond and compose your thoughts.

- You are not likely to the get the right answer to many unusual questions since you don't have all the data necessary, but the interviewer will want to see how you think about it.

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