Tell me something about this suspect – three applicants are given a profile photograph of a police suspect. What can they deduce?
Three men are applying for a position as a police detective. They are all being interviewed on the same day.
The chief calls in the first applicant and says “Before we hire you, you have to pass a little test. I’m going to show you a photograph of a suspect; you tell me something about them based on their photo.”
So the chief hands the first applicant a photo. The applicant studies it for a moment, then says “Easy, the suspect only has one eye!”
The chief, puzzled, looks at the photo, then says “Are you crazy?! This is a profile picture! Of course you can only see one of his eyes! Get out of here!”
So the chief calls in the second applicant and gives him the same photo. The applicant says “The suspect only has one ear!”
The chief blows up “Has nobody ever heard of a profile picture! Get out of here!”
He calls in the third applicant and says “Now, before you say anything, I want you to think very carefully… what can you tell me about this suspect?”
The third applicant studies the photo intensely for a few moments, then says “This man wears contact lenses.”
The chief is taken aback. He excuses himself and goes to look at the suspect’s file, where he is pleasantly surprised to discover that the suspect does wear contact lenses. He returns to the interview room and says “You’re right…but how could you tell from this photo that the suspect wears contact lenses?”
The applicant replies: “Well, he can’t wear regular glasses since he only has one eye and one ear!”