A woman has revealed the unusual question she was asked during a recent job interview, and it has left internet users wondering what the correct answer would be.
Alexiss Moua, 28, was attending a job interview on January 7 for a customer support role at a health-care technology company. Everything seemed to be going swimmingly as Moua, from Huntington Beach, California, felt confident and thought she would be a great fit for the role.
However, Moua was caught off guard toward the end of the interview when they asked her what she would do if her Wi-Fi went down. She tried to keep her composure and told Newsweek that she went with a "problem-solving response" by telling them she would hotspot from her phone.
Moua was relieved she gave them a good response and showed that she can handle whatever problems are thrown her way. Or so she thought.
Moua said: "The interviewee immediately responded by stating I could only use my hotspot for so long, so what other options do I have? When that question was asked, I immediately said, go to a coffee shop or the public library, and one obvious answer: head immediately into office.
She continued: "After I provided all the possible options of what I would do in such scenario, he then immediately said, 'Let's say this doesn't have anything to do with work, it's after hours and you're just at home when it goes down.'"
She was baffled by this change of pace, and Moua wondered if it was actually supposed to be more of a personality test. Maybe they wanted to know what she would do if she wanted to switch off from the digital world.
"There was so much I really wanted to say, but the first thing that came to my mind was that I'd do a puzzle. It's something that I just picked up and genuinely enjoy, and to my surprise, I'm impressively great at," Moua told Newsweek.
This answer generated a somewhat awkward laugh from the two interviewers, and shortly after, it was all finished.
To this day, Moua still doesn't know if there was in fact a correct answer to those questions, and wonders what they were trying to learn by asking them. At the time of writing, she hasn't heard anything from the company she interviewed for.
Nonetheless, her responses were true to herself, and she is glad she answered honestly.
Moua shared a video on TikTok (@notlexmuas) discussing the interview and detailing the unexpected question she was asked. The more she thought about it, the more confusing it seemed, and she wanted to see what social-media users thought about her response. Was it strange to say she would do a puzzle in a job interview?
The clip went viral with almost 700,000 views and more than 45,000 likes on TikTok in just a matter of days, as it sparked a discussion online about what the right answer might be.
"I think I reached my people in my audience," Moua said. "A lot of the comments mentioned that they would've probably said something similar. I also really appreciated those who took the time and effort to comment on what the proper answer or what the answer should have been.
"I don't know if there was a correct answer, but the one I gave was truly my correct answer. If the internet went out, I probably wouldn't even notice because I wouldn't be on the internet," she added.
Since the video went viral, it has amassed over 450 comments on TikTok as many social media users gave suggestions for responses they would have given.
One comment reads: "It's not a personality question, it's a troubleshooting question, the right answer is resetting your router or the hotspot answer. They're trying to see how you problem solve."
Another TikTok user wrote: "I'd check my email to see if there's a service outage alert."
"Also go to a café or a working space if there is no room in the office," posted a third internet user.
One comment read: "I mean, a unique answer definitely. Usually when I ask this, I want to see if they are self-sufficient and can complete basic troubleshooting steps."
For now, Moua is still looking for work and attending job interviews—but none as bizarre as that one.
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