Have you ever gone into a job interview feeling confident only to be thrown off by unexpected and random interview questions? You’re not the only one.

If you’re looking to ace your next interview, look no further! Quora has recently hosted two interesting threads: “What is the toughest interview question thrown at you, and how did you answer it?” and “What are some examples of interesting interview questions to ask?”. Through delving into these conversations we have gathered a few intriguing and unexpected interview questions as well as real-life answers to help you feel more confident about that upcoming job opportunity. Let’s dive in!

[Related: The Top 10 Interview Questions Everyone Needs to Know]

1. “Do you think you’re a lucky person?”

You don’t need luck to be successful, and being too cynical can also have a negative impact. As Quora user Philemon Onesias points out: “I thought about this for a few seconds and concluded that they must want to know whether I’m an optimist or pessimist. Therefore, I decided to convey my optimism but remain realistic.”

2. “If you could relive the last 10 years of your life, what would you change?”

Responding to the traditional “what is your greatest weakness” question, Erin Millano declared that she would not change a single thing about her professional journey. She noted with conviction that every lesson learned over the past decade has helped shape and develop her as an individual in ways she wouldn’t have imagined.

[Related: Your Guide to Top Job Interview Questions and Answers]

3. “Could you please share with me the salary range that meets your both short-term and long-term needs?

Discussing salary can be a delicate matter, and it’s even more sensitive when you are broaching the subject of current as well as future payments. Kate Ross Myers had an ingenuous response – she simply said “I didn’t anticipate such a question”. As we have seen with her successful story, sometimes honesty is key! If you’re ever in this situation yourself and unsure what to say, why not start by giving them your desired range for now: something like “X-Y seemed fair initially; naturally I’d expect appropriate recognition following my yearly performance reviews”.

4. Reflecting on your life, narrate a story of failure that you experienced.

The best way to answer this toughie? ’Fess up about your failures. “After interviewing over 100 people in my career, this is the question that separates contenders from pretenders,” James Hritz says. “It’s interesting how many candidates are loath to admit they have ever failed at anything!”

5. “What can you teach us?”

This question can be pretty illuminating for both the interviewer and interviewee: When Divya Prabhakar was asked, “What can you teach us?” in a job interview, she realized she wasn’t a great fit for the company. “It showed me the company valued an interactive and mutual working environment, and if I wanted to have a positive experience there, rather than feel inferior, I should be able to answer this question easily,” she says.

6. “What would be the most helpful strategies for us to employ when managing you?”

To improve your odds of success, Quora user Branko Marusic asks what management style helps you work best. He highlights the importance of this question as companies are keen to give every new employee a chance to succeed.

Thinkstock: Jose Luis Pelaez Inc / Getty Images

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