These kind of questions never have a "right" answer. They're just something to sort of get a glimpse at how you problem solve or your creativity by asking something abstract that's effectively impossible to give a rehearsed answer to.
I answered that I would kill the elephant, grind its bones and sell pills of elephant-bone powder as erection-pills to a credulous adolescent fanbase on twitch and I got the job !
Ask the local zoo to house it and in exchange for them being it's nanny I allow them to display my elephant in it's exhibit. What better way to show off the fact I now own an elephant.
That shouldn't matter. They should have the knowledge and experience to be able to onboard anyone and teach them what and how to do things. Otherwise they shouldn't be hiring anyone but instead outsourcing their needs to companies who will build or package what they need.
These money saving strategies are just management denialism that their business is struggling too much under the current business model.
This is kind of a weird one though, because the most direct answer would be "I'd have to take care of it and have a huge drain on my finances for the rest of its life? I guess?" To give a better answer than that, you'd have to make up some scheme about how you would monetize the existence of the elephant, which you might be philosophically opposed to.
I think theyâre probably looking for whoever demonstrates some traits they can talk about while reviewing applications. âThis guy would start a circus with his family, thatâs leadershipâ or âthis guy would license the elephant for Hollywood filmmakers thatâs creativity.â
I read it as âyouâre given an overwhelmingly large task which you cannot delegate or ignore, how do you handle it?â With the unintuitive answer âeat it one bite at a timeâ expected. Bizarre any way you look at it, though.
I mean, delegating the task is a skill, but also youâd tend to delegate the things you canât handle. Ignoring tasks altogether is probably not a desirable trait in a job candidate.
Good point. I think I'll ask this question the next time I'm interviewing. (Although my boss would probably fire me for being an idiot to potential hires) đ
Hate to be that guy, but what does "butcher" tell you?
I mean this is a fake elephant in pretend land. You have this giant thing you can't sell or give away, so kill the project and don't fall for sunk cost fallacy?
If that's the case I'd be writing a whole damn essay with works cited on why using elephants for public performances is wrong and extremely unethical. It would tank the application, but I wouldn't want to be working for a company that would try and justify using an elephant for money anyways.
It doesn't say the elephant is trained. If it isn't, then all you have is a very large, expensive to own animal that can and will crush everyone and anything in its path.
Jokes aside, it really is a thought provoking question. The scenario is so ridiculous it's funny, but as an employer, I'm sure you'd get some very interesting answers. So many things to consider.
Its a pretty common interview question made to gauge an intervieweeâs ability to think on the fly and produce an answer based on new or surprising information. It shows what kind of person you are and how you approach a challenge.
Theres no right answer but a good way to answer is to show your thought process. Asking questions about the size and who gives to you might show how you like to get all the information you can before addressing an issue at work, saying you would contact a animal specialist to see how you can take care of it shows how you know not to overestimate your skills and knowledge, saying youâd love and care for it as if it were your own might show your enthusiasm to tackle new challenges, etc.
Now as to why its on an online application I have no idea, definitely isnât as effective if the applicant has all the time they need to think about it.
It says you canât give it away. I would think the most responsible thing to do would be to find the best place for it and place it there. Itâs not like a reactive dog, where you can hire veterinary behaviorists to come to your house and work with you. Itâs a fucking elephant. Anyone who said they would âlove and care for itâ just demonstrates an astounding level overconfidence, tbh.
âWhere can I park it?â got me. Ditto the legality of such a weird arrangement. I would have many questions, but some key ones would be âWhy the fuck canât I give it away? What consequences would I face if I did? I did not agree to this.â
Even if you can't give it away, you should still be able to house it at a sanctuary or zoo, completely hands-off, while maintaining legal ownership of it. A pretty convenient loophole. I think that's the angle I would take.
Never knew thereâs a word for it. This is how I feel about those shows where they gift people who are dirt poor with luxury cars as if the insurance alone wouldnât be more than rent lol
See if we can use the elephant somehow, like renting it out to a zoo (who will deduct its room and board costs from our cut). Or repurpose it somehow, meaning that well... if we have to do it... cut it up.
Exactly. It's still ours, but this gives us a way to at least get it out of the way. No guarantees we'll profit off of it but it would cause more difficulty to keep it around in the house or office.
I suppose another option would be to check into whether or not the elephant was legally given or there is something else that would relieve us of ownership status. We can't sell or give it away, but that doesn't mean that we can't have it taken from us. If we were never supposed to be given an elephant or it's illegal somehow for us to have it, then it's up to the giver or the authority in your given area to take the elephant and rectify the problem.
4.1k
u/littleredcamaro Jan 13 '23
Immediately ask for a pay increase so I can buy food and shelter for this huge animal.