Search
Close this search box.
Search
Close this search box.

The Key Interview Questions CEOs Ask Job Candidates

Asking prospects about their weaknesses during an interview can shed light on who they are.

Probing potential staffers’ strengths and weaknesses is a fairly common feature of most job interviews. The weaknesses part is indeed something that Duolingo CEO Luis Von Ahn likes to investigate, though with an enlightening twist.

“What would someone who doesn’t like you tell us about you?” the language-learning app’s founder always asks candidates, according to Business Insider.

Not only does the question prompt them to perhaps reveal their weaknesses, but it also shows how open they are to taking others peoples’ criticism.

The ability to accept your mistakes is an important characteristic of any employee, not least the CEO. Hiding weaknesses makes it difficult for staff to identify genuine business problems and can engender a culture of fear and mistrust, where nobody is quite sure what people are really thinking.

“If people can’t name a single thing about how to make a product better that they use a lot, then that’s probably not a good indication that they’ll be a good product manager.”

Respondents to Von Ahn’s question claiming there’s no criticisms to convey because “everybody likes me” are obviously providing a bad answer. But there’s an even worse response.

Candidates, he said, will really be sticking their foot it in if they try to blame the person who doesn’t like them.

“I think the responses that are concerning are like, ‘People who don’t like me just don’t understand me, and they’re usually just wrong,'” he said. “They’re not taking responsibility for anything.”

Here’s a few other leaders’ favorite interview questions:

— Youtube’s Susan Wojcicki likes to ask how candidates would improve a particular product, be it one of YouTube’s or another commonly-used offering. “If people can’t name a single thing about how to make a product better that they use a lot, then that’s probably not a good indication that they’ll be a good product manager,” she told a recent conference. She also likes to ask how people they manage their email.

— Virgin’s Richard Branson once wrote that there’s little point talking about a candidate’s achievements if they’re already visible on a CV. That’s why the billionaire CEO likes to ask: “What didn’t you get a chance to include on your résumé?”

— Facebook’s Miranda Kalinowski, the company’s global head of recruiting, likes to discover a candidate’s passion and how it fits with the company by asking: “On your very best day at work — the day you come home and think you have the best job in the world — what did you do that day?”

— HootSuite’s Ryan Holmes’ favorite takes the cake for originality: “What’s your superpower … or spirit animal,” he once asked an executive assistant candidate, according to a LinkedIn post by Jeff Haden. “She told me it was a duck, because ducks are calm on the surface and hustling like crazy getting things done under the surface,” Holmes said. “I think this was an amazing response and a perfect description for the role of an EA.”


MORE LIKE THIS

  • Get the CEO Briefing

    Sign up today to get weekly access to the latest issues affecting CEOs in every industry
  • upcoming events

    Roundtable

    Strategic Planning Workshop

    1:00 - 5:00 pm

    Over 70% of Executives Surveyed Agree: Many Strategic Planning Efforts Lack Systematic Approach Tips for Enhancing Your Strategic Planning Process

    Executives expressed frustration with their current strategic planning process. Issues include:

    1. Lack of systematic approach (70%)
    2. Laundry lists without prioritization (68%)
    3. Decisions based on personalities rather than facts and information (65%)

     

    Steve Rutan and Denise Harrison have put together an afternoon workshop that will provide the tools you need to address these concerns.  They have worked with hundreds of executives to develop a systematic approach that will enable your team to make better decisions during strategic planning.  Steve and Denise will walk you through exercises for prioritizing your lists and steps that will reset and reinvigorate your process.  This will be a hands-on workshop that will enable you to think about your business as you use the tools that are being presented.  If you are ready for a Strategic Planning tune-up, select this workshop in your registration form.  The additional fee of $695 will be added to your total.

    To sign up, select this option in your registration form. Additional fee of $695 will be added to your total.

    New York, NY: ​​​Chief Executive's Corporate Citizenship Awards 2017

    Women in Leadership Seminar and Peer Discussion

    2:00 - 5:00 pm

    Female leaders face the same issues all leaders do, but they often face additional challenges too. In this peer session, we will facilitate a discussion of best practices and how to overcome common barriers to help women leaders be more effective within and outside their organizations. 

    Limited space available.

    To sign up, select this option in your registration form. Additional fee of $495 will be added to your total.

    Golf Outing

    10:30 - 5:00 pm
    General’s Retreat at Hermitage Golf Course
    Sponsored by UBS

    General’s Retreat, built in 1986 with architect Gary Roger Baird, has been voted the “Best Golf Course in Nashville” and is a “must play” when visiting the Nashville, Tennessee area. With the beautiful setting along the Cumberland River, golfers of all capabilities will thoroughly enjoy the golf, scenery and hospitality.

    The golf outing fee includes transportation to and from the hotel, greens/cart fees, use of practice facilities, and boxed lunch. The bus will leave the hotel at 10:30 am for a noon shotgun start and return to the hotel after the cocktail reception following the completion of the round.

    To sign up, select this option in your registration form. Additional fee of $295 will be added to your total.