By Liam Horan, Career Coach & Managing Director, Sli Nua Careers

Q: The job was for a team leader. The interview was going grand until one fellow – the quiet one – piped up with ‘how much money have you in your bank account?’  I prevaricated and I procrastinated and I equivocated, and then I sighed and I smiled, and basically, in a nice, mannerly way, I told him it was none of his business.

He guffawed, they guffawed and I didn’t want to feel left out so I guffawed too. Three days later they told me I had the job.

Three weeks later they told me that the question was deliberately inserted to test how people would react. Some threw the toys out of the pram. Others told the truth. I had steered a middle course – ‘none of your business’ with a smile – and they reckoned this showed I could deliver bad news without getting tripped up. I’ve no question but felt people might to know this story. (QM, email):

A: I’m not a huge fan of interview panel gimmicks, but each to their own. I hope your bank balance continues to increase in the new role.

Liam Horan is Managing Director of Sli Nua Careers Ltd. You can read more blogs from Sli Nua Careers coaches HERE, and make a booking for CV Preparation and Interview Training.