We had seven interviews scheduled for one particular day so we decided to add a bit of fun to the day. First question we asked each candidate was to tell a joke. We did this to lighten the atmosphere, put the interviewees at ease but also to make it more fun for us. I will point out that this was not a critical hire for the organisation!!

I met with an interview coaching client the other day who had recently been asked to tell a joke at interview which brought up the whole subject again. He asked my advice on this. 99% of you will never be asked this question at interview BUT if you are I would fall on the side of decency and caution. If I was the interviewer I would be hard to offend me BUT you won’t always get me. If you are asked this question then the likelihood is that the interviewer has a sense of humor but this is not set in stone. So when you are preparing for your next interview make sure you practice a few jokes. Here is a safe one: Why are they putting the accountants at the bottom of the ocean?
They found out that deep down they’re really not so bad.