Killer Interview Question: List 10 Non-Traditional Uses For Pencils

Another addition to the killer interview questions collection: List 10 non-traditional uses for pencils.

Google has apparently asked this question when looking for administrative assistants, which means that it probably wouldn’t be wise to whip out your smartphone and search for answers mid-question. Then again, at Google you’d be showing surprising levels of brand loyalty, so maybe that might work in your favour.

Pencils as building blocks for something would seem like the obvious answer to use here, and obvious is likely to get you mentally put into an “ordinary” bin, which you don’t want at any job interview you’re serious about.

That’s why I’d suggest looking at the other attributes of a pencil. They’re sharp, so perhaps using their pointy nature for something, and they’re made of wood, which brings up possibilities related to using them for fuel. Even pencil shavings could be put to some kind of use if you’re creative enough.

This, however, isn’t the way to approach the issue.

How would you answer the question?

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