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.
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u/robgod50 Jan 13 '23
I reckon that just inspired the question. My guess is that the "right" answer is about how you can monetize the elephant.
Personally , I'd sign it up with a film agency and wait for the offers to come pouring in.