Practitioner and Applicant Reactions to Brainteaser Interview Questions

Abstract

Research on applicant reactions to brainteaser interview questions has been mixed, with some applicants finding them humorous and others finding them useless and unfair to use in an interview. Little research, however, has investigated how practitioners perceive these questions. Across two studies, we assess how applicants and practitioners react to brainteaser questions and how people perceive their use in a selection context. We find consistently negative reactions to brainteaser interview questions in both applicants and practitioners. As such, organizations that use or are considering using these questions in their selection practices should use caution. Implications and future research directions are discussed.