Based on an extract from a Business Insider web article. The original article was written by Alison Griswold and Vivian Giang.
Smart and successful entrepreneurs including the likes of Richard Branson of Virgin and Tony Hsieh of Zappos know that interview questions like “What’s your biggest strength?” and “What’s your biggest weakness?” don’t produce revealing answers. That’s why they steer clear of these cliché queries and instead ask more meaningful ones. Many executives have their one favorite go-to question that reveals everything they need to know about a job candidate. Here is a list of the top 10 questions…
1- What didn’t you get a chance to include on your résumé?
Richard Branson of the Virgin Group isn’t a fan of the traditional job interview. This is the question he likes to ask. He believes this is important to ask to get beyond what is written in the CV.
2- On a scale of 1 to 10, how weird are you?
One of Zappos’ core values is to “create fun and a little weirdness,” Tony Hsieh, CEO of the company, told Business Insider in 2010. To make sure he hires candidates with the right fit, Hsieh typically asks this question. He says the number isn’t too important, but it’s more about how people answer the question. Nonetheless, if “you’re a one, you probably are a little bit too straight-laced for the Zappos culture,” he said. “If you’re a 10, you might be too psychotic for us.”
3- How would you describe yourself in one word?
The best candidates are the ones who know exactly who they are. That’s why Dara Richardson-Heron, CEO of women’s organization YWCA, always asks her candidates this question. She doesn’t judge people on the word they choose, but it does give her insight into how people package themselves. She is basically looking for candidates who take time to consider the question and answer thoughtfully.
4- Give me an example of a time when you solved an analytically difficult problem
Laszlo Bock, Google’s HR boss, says the company ditched its famous brainteaser interview questions in recent years for behavioral ones. He claims that the interesting thing about the behavioral interview is that when you ask somebody to speak to their own experience, you get to see how they actually interacted in a real-world situation.
5- How old were you when you had your first paying job?
Hannah Paramore, president of Paramore, a Nashville-based interactive advertising agency, said this is one of her favorite questions. She says this gives her a sense of their work ethic, independence and sense of responsibility. Someone who has worked part-time in school, college or university because they needed to show a huge level of personal responsibility, sh claims.
6- What is your favorite quote?
Karen Davis, senior vice president of Global Philanthropy and Social Impact at Hasbro, the toy and game giant, says that because her work is focused on giving back – a big part of her job is deciding which organizations and projects Hasbro will help fund – she looks for candidates with a sense of passion and purpose. The quote question helps her figure out who applicants really are and what they care about. There is of course no right answer but it shows if the person has been searching for sources of inspiration.
7- Tell me about your failures.
A good answer to this question is important because it means that the candidate isn’t afraid of taking risks and will admit when things don’t work out, said Jenny Ming, president and CEO of clothing store Charlotte Russe and former chief executive of Old Navy.
8- Walk me through your résumé, particularly why you changed from one job to the next.
LearnVest CEO Alexa von Tobel believes that the way a candidate responds to this question reveals their thought process, which tells you a lot about someone.
9- Can you tell me about a time you ran with a project from start to finish?
Jess Levin, the founder and chief executive of Carats & Cake, an online wedding resource that features curated content and information about vendors asks this because she looks for people who get what it means to do big things without a lot of hands. There is no one-size-fits-all answer, but she always looks for an example that communicates independent drive, proactive problem solving, and humility.
10 – What would someone who doesn’t like you say about you?
Retired General Stanley McChrystal, who currently oversees the management consulting firm he founded, the McChrystal Group, says that this unusual interview question puts a person in the position of having to try to articulate what they think the perception of them by others is. The question essentially forces candidates to consider their least attractive qualities and also muster enough courage to share them with someone who holds power over their careers.
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