On a scale of 1 to 10, how weird are you?

Interviews can be awkward, particularly if you're not comfortable with questions of the type of "tell me about yourself". But this is not as tough as they get. Glassdoor, an online career and jobs community, listed recently its annual list of oddball interview questions. Some sound like a funny quiz, of course if you're not in the interviewee's chair, such as "How do you weigh an elephant without using a weighing machine?"

Others give you more the feeling of walking into a trap. For example, an interviewee for an operations analyst position at Capital One was asked to say how weird he/she is on a scale of 1 to 10.

While there is almost no way to predict unusual interview questions, there are ways to deal with the situation and make sure the answer is not the end of the interview process. Here are a few tips:

Behind the question

When and if you encounter a completely unexpected and unconventional question in a job interview, you need to immediately understand why the interviewer is asking it. First of all, make sure you've actually heard it correctly, and it is not a joke that a smile at your future boss's sense of humour is sufficient. If you're sure it is a serious question, focus on the purpose of the question. It can be a test of your creative thinking, analytical or problem-solving skills. It can also be a regular question phrased in an unusual way. For instance, a question that was asked at AT&T for a customer services representative position was "If you could be any superhero, who would it be?" I'd hear this question as what special skills you possess or you aspire to have.

Confidence wins

The interviewer knows you are prepared and scripted to some extent for the interview. An odd question can be intended to rattle you. Remain cool and answer in a tune as similar as possible to the one in which the question was asked. You'll prove that you do function well under pressure and in unexpected situations. Again, the focus is how you handle yourself rather than the particular answer. After all, no one expects a banker to know precisely how M&M's are made? — a question which was asked at US Bank, in an interview for a Leadership Programme Development position.

Know your rights

There is a difference between a question that is meant to test your skills, even in an awkward or an unusual way, and an illegitimate or discriminatory question. While you might be keen to win a job during a personal interview, a question that invades of your privacy need not be answered. In many countries, the boundaries are set by law. However, wherever such limits are vague, use your common sense and the knowledge that personal questions related to marital status, health, race or religion are not subject for job interviews.

Get predictable ones right

Odd questions can catch you completely off-guard and you have no way to predict them. However, many interview questions are predictable even though they remain awkward. For instances, "List three of your points of weakness". Or "How do your co-workers describe you?" are pretty common. An online search for the most common interview questions will bring you lists of dozens of questions. Check for instance http://job-interview-answers.com/?hop=360group. While you don't have to prepare an answer for every single question, familiarise yourself with what to expect, and invest some brain power in the ones that might stun you.

Confidentiality alert

If your interview is taking place at a rival of your current employer, be particularly wary of any questions or discussions that might breach your current confidentiality agreements. Not only do you need to be and look loyal to your current employer, but such discussions won't give you any plus points. Similar to the conventional advice that you should never bad mouth your current or previous employers, you do need to decline to answer any question that seems to be digging for confidential or gossip-type information.

Silence is gold

If you've no idea what to say to a surprising question, silence is the last resort. But silence here does not mean being mute. Explain nicely why you don't know how to weigh an elephant, or your lack of interest or aspiration to be any superhero. It is not an ideal solution, but it will get you moving on with the meeting and you might even earn a point or two for honesty and composure.

The writer, a former Business Features Editor at Gulf News, is a freelance journalist based in Salt Lake City, Utah.