Mike Barnard, 14 November 2008
Jobhunting students and graduates are being frustrated by interview questions with more interest in Mr. T than their potential roles.

Questions such as "What planet would you visit and why?" and "Which member of the A Team would you be?" or requests to pick a "cake, biscuit or type of food to be" are being met with confused looks and putting candidates off taking jobs.

Sainsbury's reports students are increasingly being probed on areas likely to raise more questions than answers about the suitability of the employer for their first step on the career ladder. While they have done their research, are on the ball and expecting a tough ride to prove themselves fit for the job, the arrival of the ‘fluffy factor’ mid interview can be a real turn-off. The question most graduates wished they had asked but hadn’t felt able to was: "What's the salary?"

The supermarket states employers should realise that interviews are a two-way process as candidates are looking for a good first impression and wanting a real affinity with the company. If the employer is seen to be too obtuse, or is adding 'forced fun' questions into the mix, they don't always leave with the best impression and the candidate is tempted to go with another employer.

Jo Gidley, Graduate Recruitment Manager at Sainsbury's said: "A question like 'Which planet would you visit and why?' is a seen as remote and ethereal. 'Which member of the A team would you be?' says a lot about the 80s hangover and lack of realism of the interviewer; and the obsession with pick a 'cake, biscuit or type of food to be..:' is worryingly prevalent but frustratingly irrelevant.

"At a time when a brand’s authenticity, transparency and values are key to consumers and employees alike, what graduate candidates want from an interview is a serious focus on the job in hand, and an interview conducted in a personable, interested and bespoke style."

Helen Prince, one of Sainsbury's current graduate ambassadors who has been with the retailer for just over a year, added: "Lateral thinking questions are not a bad thing, and students are happy to be tested, but they see much more sense in questions related to broad thinking around the job they might have to do rather than approaches that seem flippant, standard or forced in their 'creativity'."