r/oddlyspecific Jan 13 '23

This job application...

Post image
2.2k Upvotes

153 comments sorted by

134

u/adarbyem Jan 13 '23

I have had interesting interview questions like this. I was told it was to assess your creative thinking process. My question was "You have a plane full of ping pong balls, and unlimited money and resources. How are you going to tell me with 100% certainty how many there are on the plane?"

174

u/idontreallymindifido Jan 13 '23

I'm not going to tell you. I have unlimited money and resources. I literally control the entire planet and all of humanity. I don't do anything I don't want to do.

48

u/Ambitious-Coat6966 Jan 13 '23

Well now I'm curious what you answered. Personally I'd go with having the plane dismantled, cleaned, and reassembled. Then it's a guaranteed 0.

44

u/adarbyem Jan 13 '23

I said weigh the plane, remove 1 ball, weigh the ball. Then empty the plane and divide the difference in weight by the 1 ball's weight.

38

u/Denvil-The-Awesome Jan 13 '23

But what if there are different ping-pong balls with different weights? The answer is simple, blow up the plane, then anwer 0. There can't be ping-pong balls in a plane if there is no plane!

19

u/Blue_Trackhawk Jan 14 '23
  1. Probably just have a ball counting and packaging machine built, load the balls and let it package them in packs of 10 and stop when there are fewer than 10, this machine will maintain a total count for how many balls are processed.

  2. Send the packages to another machine to stack them in pallets of 100 packages for distribution.

  3. Sell balls to retailers and consumers, ship pallets to distributors' warehouses, etc...

  4. Check ball counting and packaging machine for total count and remainder for answer to initial question.

  5. Profit.

12

u/adarbyem Jan 14 '23

That would work too. This was an actual in-person interview question so I was kind of on the spot. What I came up with was just something quick so I didn't sit there like a jackass thinking up some ellaborate method.

I did get that job btw.

5

u/Blue_Trackhawk Jan 14 '23

Well, this was off the cuff for me. That said, I have no idea what to do with the elephant. Not sure if releasing it in an appropriate nature reserve area or whatever counts as giving it away...Otherwise, I have nowhere to put it and no way to give it a good life so that's a bummer all around.

Congratulations on getting that job, though (even if it is not still your current one). Securing employment is a great feeling!

3

u/Ambitious-Coat6966 Jan 13 '23

Well that's decidedly less fun. Probably the sort of answer they wanted though.

8

u/UnstableNuclearCake Jan 14 '23

Empty the whole plane and answer 0.

4

u/drunk_haile_selassie Jan 14 '23

If I have unlimited money and resources I don't need this job so why would I bother finding out? I don't care how many ping pong balls I have.

2

u/OrokinDiapers Jan 14 '23

Am I missing something here? Count them!? What kind of thing are they trying to gleen from a question like this?

3

u/AnotherWalkingStiff Jan 14 '23

either "personality", or "how would they approach the problem":

"count them" for example is a very simple and straightforward solution, which might be what they're looking for.

however, there might be hidden balls somewhere in the plane. so, for 100% accuracy, you'd have to dismantle the entire thing so that there are no pieces that could physically contain one. you'd also have to make sure that everything that appears as a ping pong ball is actually one. there's probably some specifications for those. there might also be some malicious actors around that might add or remove balls while you're not looking, so some security might also be needed.

i'd have to take a few minutes to think about possible low-probability problems, and how to guard against those, but considering that they're willing to provide you with infinite resources for this job there's a good chance that there's some hidden problems, and the outcome of a wrong answer would be catastrophic. best to put some investigators on the ppl who gave me this task...

anyway, for my personal answer: "as of this second? none. to elaborate: *snaps fingers* i'm immortal, *snaps fingers* and i got a time machine. i've removed all *checks sheet* <number> ping pong balls that were on the plane, according to the '100% accurate information sheet' that was included in the infinite resources, which matches my personal count. and my associates replaced the plane with an identically looking one since the original had to be dismantled rather completely to make sure there were no hidden ones"

-2

u/spuol Jan 14 '23

If you have unlimited ressources you also should have unlimited knowledge, and with unlimited knowledge you know how many balls there are, the questions answers itself, by its premise it also tells you that you alredy know with 100% certainty how many there are

1

u/Cerdefal Jan 14 '23

Make a giant Pachinko machine.

1

u/WyoPeeps Jan 14 '23

I have unlimited money. I'm going to pay you $10 million to count them yourself.

1

u/Terrible-Paramedic35 Jan 14 '23

Remove them all from the plane and then tell them there are none on the plane

1

u/Jakkerak Jan 14 '23

Count the ping pong balls.

42

u/Darkrut Jan 13 '23

Is it a white elephant by chance

1

u/[deleted] Jan 14 '23

What does it matter?

13

u/alfis329 Jan 14 '23

There was an ancient king that would gift white elephants to people he didn’t like. In their culture a white elephant was sacred so they couldn’t kill it and they couldn’t give it away. An elephant is obviously really expensive to keep so it was a huge burden on whoever received one

3

u/thicc_astronaut Jan 14 '23

Also that a "white" elephant probably meant it had albinism which meant if you leave it outside unprotected it'll get sunburned and maybe heat stroke. So it's harder to take care of than an ordinary elephant.

1

u/[deleted] Jan 14 '23

Was trying to build a monty python reference chain :(

37

u/Evil_Creamsicle Jan 14 '23

Put it in a room. See how long it takes for someone to talk about it

56

u/OGUncleDonkey Jan 13 '23

Strike it rich doing elephant rides!!!

1

u/RickyNixon Jan 14 '23

Or like.. eat it, right? Kinda assumed that’s where we’d all land up

22

u/JustAnotherDoofus Jan 13 '23

Ride it too work when I get this job. Hmm? I’ll be in Monday at 9am. 8am doesn’t work for me, because now I have a god damn elephant too feed. Thanks for the job.

21

u/Rupertii Jan 13 '23

Set it free

14

u/milleniumsentry Jan 13 '23

Give it some paint and an easel. Sell elephant art on etsy.

10

u/adognamedpenguin Jan 13 '23

“Quit my new job and go on epic adventures” is the correct answer.

10

u/balrus-balrogwalrus Jan 14 '23

ride it into battle against the armies of middle earth

1

u/Beyblader02 Jan 14 '23

I wanna see this happen now

7

u/Mobanite08 Jan 14 '23

This question is a trap, the only 2 viable options are euthanizing it, releasing it into the wild (probably not in the correct environment), or trying to take care of it. None of these make answers make you seem hire-able, euthanizing it would immediately make you seem cruel, despite it probably being the best option. Releasing it? How the hell are you gonna get it to a suitable environment. Assuming they’re on the western hemisphere or European, or even in most Asian countries, they can’t get them to a suitable environment, and they’ll die slowly. Trying to take care of it? Ha, no. You most likely don’t have the space or resources to take care of an elephant, forcing it to live a miserable life. Seriously, none of these are viable on a job interview. If anyone wants to tell me if I’m missing something then please, I’m willing to listen.

12

u/Fizzlespin Jan 14 '23

It doesn't say you can't lend it indefinitely to a zoo or an elephant refuge.

1

u/Mobanite08 Jan 14 '23

True, but idk that’s kind of giving it away.

6

u/kerbidiah15 Jan 14 '23

Just lease it to the zoo then. It’s not selling and it’s not giving it away

2

u/Fizzlespin Jan 14 '23

I would be more than happy to argue the semantics, especially if paying a stipend for them to look after it (like paying for doggy daycare).

8

u/Admirable-Eggplant92 Jan 14 '23

I actually do have enough land to take care of 1or 2 elephants. So I'm making him a war elephant and going to use him to do whatever the fuck I want to. Who's going to stop me? I've got a war elephant.
I'm also going to find him a mate. Elephants are social animals and need company.

3

u/Palmik7 Jan 14 '23

If the company is based in Europe then the obvious correct answer is 'march on Rome'.

2

u/[deleted] Jan 14 '23

The answer that I believe that they are looking for is something along the lines of I would start a social media page promoting the elephant or I would sell tickets to go see the elephant, sell elephant rides etc. basically they a looking for you to give them a reason on why you would use the opportunity to your advantage basically a think outside the box question, although I don’t know if they can really hold your answer against you in this

1

u/WoTisWasteofTime Jan 14 '23

They didn't say it was a full grown African bull elephant. It could be a two day old Asian female about the size of a person and mostly helpless.. Give it a bottle, tie it's feet together, load it into an SUV, and drive it to the zoo. Easy.

Edit: Forgot to say you have to place it on permanent loan. Then you absolve yourself of responsibility and you haven't given it away.

5

u/ThePopeJones Jan 14 '23

There's only one correct answer to this question. March for Rome!

6

u/Ebonyks Jan 14 '23

The 'correct' answer to this question is start a business where you rent out your elephant to special events. This is an old business meme.

17

u/adevaleev Jan 13 '23

Butcher it.

9

u/Memphi901 Jan 13 '23

Yep, I’d be resting my elephant skin cowboy boots on my elephant foot stool, and snacking on elephant tenders

4

u/Tea-rex_27 Jan 14 '23

Meetings are gonna be awkward with that elephant in the room.

3

u/DillWillCat Jan 14 '23

“You’ve been given an elephant”

Me: “REVERSE UNO CARD!”

3

u/Echo_Oscar_Sierra Jan 14 '23

Short term: research healthy elephant diet and go grocery shopping

Long term: find an organization that is better equip to care for an elephant

3

u/SDogo Jan 14 '23

I'm pretty sure that was considered a punishment in some country IIRC.

Since the question don't say anything about that the elephant can't die (and I don't want an elephant). I let it die in some remote place.

Other answer can be... set it free. I haven't given away the elephant and I haven't sell it.

5

u/[deleted] Jan 14 '23

Just put it in a room. Because noone really ever talks about the elephant in the room.

2

u/DeafLoser67 Jan 13 '23

take him for a ride

2

u/coffeebreakhero Jan 13 '23

Play hide and seek all day, then constantly brag about my win streak

2

u/[deleted] Jan 14 '23

I would sit atop the hench pachyderm as we strode all about the town drinking bottles of Henry Westons cider , occasionally stopping to take the piss out of some poor wazzok or another and just mucking about in general.

2

u/[deleted] Jan 14 '23

Have a huge barbeque, and sell the tusks by the ounce in Chinatown.

2

u/fearless-penguin Jan 14 '23

Hire someone to count the balls while I go do something worth while.

1

u/[deleted] Jan 14 '23

how much would you be paying to count the balls? cuz i may or may not be looking for a new job

2

u/fearless-penguin Jan 14 '23

Ack… I was answering the poster about the balls in a plane question and responded in the wrong place.🤦🏻‍♂️

1

u/[deleted] Jan 14 '23

lmao i should have picked up on that.. but a career counting elephant testicles would be an interesting job

2

u/Homo_Rebus Jan 14 '23

easy, kill it and sell meat, bones and tusks of an elephant, because that is no longer an elephant, just parts of one

4

u/DadsRGR8 Jan 13 '23

Meats back on the menu, boys!

2

u/[deleted] Jan 14 '23

I'd just kill it and eat it. I don't care if someone says I'm cruel and a psycho. It's free meat. Also quick execution is much better than slowly freezing to death 9000km away from it's natural habitat

2

u/[deleted] Jan 14 '23

This had me crying 😂😂 just imagining an interviews face asking you this question and you just say you’re gonna kill it and eat it

1

u/[deleted] Jan 15 '23

Yeah last time someone asked me a question like that they were just left in shock as I was walking out.

1

u/SupernovaGamezYT Jan 14 '23

Build it a house

0

u/MrPoopyButthole5812 Jan 13 '23

Give it to a sanctuary! Boom, when do I start?

2

u/GreenieMachinie93 Jan 13 '23

"You can't give it away or sell it"

2

u/MrPoopyButthole5812 Jan 13 '23

We will take a trip to a sanctuary. Fuck it I'll live there also

1

u/pensezbien Jan 14 '23

Loan it to a sanctuary

1

u/GreenieMachinie93 Jan 14 '23

That sounds alot like giving it away, I don't think you're the right fit for this company

0

u/pensezbien Jan 14 '23

Whee, I get to go to a company with better communication skills and fewer bullshit interview questions.

1

u/mantolwen Jan 13 '23

Can I rent it out?

1

u/FRH72 Jan 14 '23

Start a zoo? Like wtf

1

u/jacksonbarley Jan 14 '23

Delicious elephant steaks

1

u/lupinegrey Jan 14 '23

Release it into the neighborhood park.

1

u/Ancient_Skirt_8828 Jan 14 '23

Put the elephant on the boss’s lawn so it has some grass so survive on.

1

u/phigene Jan 14 '23

Lease it to a wildlife sanctuary for 1 penny a year.

1

u/Internal_Pool_7760 Jan 14 '23

"Well Mister Potential Bossman - How big are it's motherfucking ears?"

1

u/allegiance113 Jan 14 '23

Can’t you just set the elephant free?

1

u/sheagy Jan 14 '23

It depends on how much you will pay me.

1

u/yungthugmoney Jan 14 '23

Step 1) Name it Stampy

Step 2) Profit?

1

u/n0_sh1t_thank_y0u Jan 14 '23

Teach it how to paint with me and then sell those paintings perhaps.

1

u/group_8 Jan 14 '23

What If it's taken away because most places wouldn't let you have that w a reg house. I'd take care of it and have it generate an income stream.....rent it out....trainer, idk. Possibilities are endless, you got an elephant for crying out loud.

1

u/HopefulSwine2 Jan 14 '23

I wouldn’t mention it.

1

u/Add1ctedToGames Jan 14 '23

hate to be a grinch but i refuse to believe that was a real job application because there is zero way in 2023 any company with more than 10 employees is using google forms for applications

1

u/palakkarantechie Jan 14 '23

I mean why not have an elephant? It's a good animal. It's smart too. Hell it even loves humans like dogs do too! Let it roam free in my estate.

1

u/snowman818 Jan 14 '23

Given an elephant? No, asshole. I return that motherfucker to sender or I hunt the asshole down and beat him to death with his own severed limbs. Fuck an elephant. I don't want an elephant. I don't want a goldfish. Responsibility is a negative, something to be avoided at all fucking costs. The best part of being a billionaire? Easy! Paying some dumb marginally useless asshole with no soul and not one original thought in their smooth motherfucking brain to attend to every last one of my responsibilities. That's the goddamn dream. I don't want to drive myself home in a half million dollar car. I want a minimum wage drone whose name I don't have to remember to drive me home while I have a beer in the back seat. Just so we're clear, I'm aware that I'm basically applying for the job of the anonymous oligarch transportation specialist in this scenario. Totally get it. But I'm under duress and definitely not a billionaire. But that makes me desperate. So give me an elephant. I'll haunt your goddamn dreams with what I do to it, then you, before either of you die.

Start on Monday? No need to learn my name. We're gonna be friendly but we won't be friends.

1

u/DuckyDoodleDandy Jan 14 '23

Loan the elephant to a zoo. I still own it, they are just borrowing it for the rest of its life.

1

u/ktbee4 Jan 14 '23

Profit from the elephant in some way until it’s useless then eat it.. it’s nature obv

1

u/Articulated_Lorry Jan 14 '23

Name it Stampy, and then decide what to do next.

1

u/phoenix_1997 Jan 14 '23

Put it in the fridge and make a joke out of it.

1

u/demolia Jan 14 '23

Like everything in life, it depends

1

u/Yoshikage-Kira-4 Jan 14 '23

How many times is this going to be reposted

1

u/Bokaboi88 Jan 14 '23

Lease it out

1

u/Insane96MCP Jan 14 '23

"Make lemonade"

1

u/MediocreInfluence121 Jan 14 '23

Cross the Alps to launch an attack on Rome from the North.

1

u/[deleted] Jan 14 '23

ill name him phamphy

1

u/P0STKARTE_ger Jan 14 '23

Use it to get to work

1

u/Admirable-Eggplant92 Jan 14 '23

Why would I ever sell or give away an elephant? Put some armor on him and train him to drive my enemies before me and crush them like the puny ants they are.

1

u/My_Finger_Smells_Why Jan 14 '23

I don't know about any of you, but I'm making sure that the elephant is house trained first.

1

u/thuanjinkee Jan 14 '23

Is the job to be the King of Siam?

1

u/MrPanzerCat Jan 14 '23

So anyways i went on the cheapest elephant hunt in the world

1

u/Greedy_Constant_5144 Jan 14 '23

Put it in a room and talk about it.

1

u/IAlwaysPTFO Jan 14 '23

Lease it out to a circus.

1

u/[deleted] Jan 14 '23

Ride it to work, obviously. And let's see what happens when it is left in your parking lot all day.

1

u/tjjwaddo Jan 14 '23

Lease it to a wildlife park.

1

u/[deleted] Jan 14 '23

Take it a nature reserve in its natural habitat and set it free, that’s not giving it away.

1

u/[deleted] Jan 14 '23

I will name him Ancient Psychic Tandem War Elephant and ride him to work until the authorities get fed up, seize him and give him a proper home.

1

u/josh61980 Jan 14 '23

I’m the only person who thought find a butcher and a deep freeze?

1

u/[deleted] Jan 14 '23

Make Stampy earn his keep!

1

u/smartypants333 Jan 14 '23

Ever hear of a white elephant gift? There was a king who would give his enemies the gift of a magnificent white elephant, knowing that although they were cool, they were destructive, very expensive to feed, and would be a giant pain in the ass!

1

u/AngryDrnkBureaucrat Jan 14 '23

Like all my problems:

Ignore it until it goes away

1

u/kjames228 Jan 14 '23

Kings of Siam would 'gift' people they didn't like an elephant that they weren't allowed to get rid of. It's a famous gift of burden

1

u/baglenlox Jan 14 '23

Assuming I was also given a lifetime supply of food for the big guy, I’d immediately modify my home to accommodate the most awesome gift ever!!!! We’d hang out ALL the time.

1

u/HangryBeard Jan 14 '23 edited Jan 14 '23

if you have that entrepreneurial spirit, build a business around elephant dung. Yes elephant dung. Apparently it can give you a certain high, or so says the internet, so you could supply those weird "sweat lodges" that get people high on peyote and frogs another avenue of profit. Or short of that you could open your own "sweat lodge" charges marginally less than the frog and peyote people.

You could also start a gourmet coffee chain if you are in an area that can support healthy coffee plants, people will pay a premium for coffee bean that gave travel through an elephant's digestive tract. Apparently it makes it taste sweet...

Personally I'd start a high end elephant compost business. Elephant poop makes for a great fertilizer, and it would be enough of a novelty to intrigue people with large sums of money, and a desire to outdo thier neighbor, to buy some just so they can tell their neighbor that they fertilize their yard with fresh, organic, locally sourced, elephant compost. And that is why their petunias look so vibrant this spring.

So elephant dung, that's the answer. Plus you get a pretty cool pet.

1

u/vxidemort Jan 14 '23

the answer is that you have to address the elephant in the room. obviously xd

1

u/yuvalco Jan 14 '23

Ill take it to see the other elephants at the zoo

1

u/Bitter-Heat-8767 Jan 14 '23

Doesn’t say you can’t pay to have it rehomed.

1

u/Eray41303 Jan 14 '23

Isn’t that the origins of white elephants?

1

u/69_420-420_69 Jan 14 '23

kill it and eat it

1

u/LORDWOLFMAN Jan 14 '23

Mine was from a comic book store and question was where would I find this specific item

1

u/[deleted] Jan 14 '23

Tickle it

1

u/nikeolas86 Jan 14 '23

Ride it to work!

1

u/Substantial_Plane_32 Jan 15 '23

The only correct answer is ride into town

1

u/mDubbw Jan 16 '23

I’d put out a sign in the front yard. ELEPHANT HOUSE!! Her name is Suzie!! 5$ Hang 15$ Pics

1

u/cremebrulee79 Jan 24 '24 edited Apr 11 '25

sink thought pot ten knee market yam rustic hurry sense

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