HR professionals are often swamped with applications from candidates whose qualifications look similar on paper. They have similar work experience, a similar education and similar personal qualities.

Faced with these equal options, recruiting mangers need to find clever ways of differentiating between candidates. Sometimes they come up with strange solutions, such as observing interviewees over dinner or letting them play board games together.

Below, three candidates share their most unexpected and challenging interview experiences. We also asked experts to provide tips on how to survive them.

1. Chen Boju, 22, a senior majoring in law at Xiamen University:

I once applied for a sales position in a trade company. The interviewer asked me to entertain him for five minutes and said he would not talk during that 

I was very nervous and didn’t know what to say.

Comment by Xu Jun, HR manager at Guangqi Honda Automobile Co Ltd:

The task is intended to see how you handle different situations and judge if you are proactive and creative.

This is because such a situation might occur during a real sales negotiation. You might suddenly be left alone with a client when your partner steps out for a short break.

You must be able to break the silence and create a friendly atmosphere by talking about any subject you know. This can help you close the deal with the client. If you don’t know what to say, use the time for a personal sales pitch.

2. Chen Xianyi, 22, a senior majoring in computer science at Tsinghua University:

I was interviewed by an electronic product company for the role of design engineer.

The interviewer put two cell phones on the table – an iPhone 3 and a Nokia – and asked what I could see from them.

Comment by Liao Qiong, product design engineer at Koobee Mobile Company in Shenzhen:

A major part of working in a product department is managing supply costs and keeping them as low as possible. You have to understand how to work within the budget’s limits.

The iPhone and Nokia are two brands that are priced against each other competitively. HR’s expect you to analyze the materials and composition of the two phones and to compare their costs.

Prove that you can design products while keeping costs down by showing off your expertise in materials and their properties.

3. Tang Guojian, 22, a senior majoring in mathematics at Yunnan University:

During the interview for an administration specialist position, the HR manager asked me to clean up a desk in a conference room.

It was in a complete mess with loads of files and stationary lying around on it.

Comment by Yu Jin, HR manager at the Shenzhen branch of Citibank China:

The company wants to see you in a stressful situation and test your time management skills.

You need to achieve the maximum benefit with minimum effort in a limited amount of time. It’s best to prioritize cleaning tasks according to the amount of time they require. Choose the tasks you can do quickly first and then do the more time-consuming ones.

This way you’ll have cleaned up the worst mess when your limited time runs out.

HRs like to ask about the condition of your own desk, so answer that you always like to keep this public area tidy and that you make sure it’s in good order before leaving for the day.