Quite often, we’ll be asked questions at interviews that don’t inspire us. The same, tired cliched questions come out that we all prepare for and often, give a response that we think the other person wants to hear rather than anything meaningful.
A few years ago, I was fortunate enough to be invited to join a pitch to former Dragon James Caan CBE which resulted in funding to set up an international recruitment business. During that meeting, he asked ‘What’s your story?’
I thought it was a fantastic question as it not only gave the opportunity to discuss my career, but also what made me tick. What my motivations were and why I’d made certain decisions.
I’ve noticed that the most successful people tend to ask questions that do just this. They give the the candidate sat in front of them a chance to talk about their personality and motivators as well as their technical skills.
So, I thought it could be helpful to share some interview questions used by some of the world’s most successful business people. Have a think about how you’d answer these. Interviews after all, are like anything else. The more you practice, the better you’ll become!
Peter Thiel, Paypal Co-Founder: ‘Tell me something that’s true, that almost no one agrees with you on.’
Karen Davis, Hasbro SVP: ‘What’s your favorite quote?’
Richard Branson, Virgin Group Founder: ‘What didn’t you get a chance to include on your CV?’
Hannah Paramore, President of Paramore: ‘How old were you when you had your first paying job?’
Randy Garutti, Shake Shake CEO: ‘If we were sitting here a year from now celebrating what a great 12 months it’s been for you in this role, what did we achieve together?’
Brad Jefferson, Chief Executive of Animoto: ‘What motivates you to get out of bed in the morning?’
Kat Cole, President of Cinnabon: ‘What would the closest person in your life say if I asked them what is the one characteristic that they totally dig about you and the one that drives them insane?’
Larry Ellison, Oracle CTO: ‘Are you the smartest person you know?’
Tony Hsieh, CEO of Zappo: ‘On a scale of 1-10, how weird are you?’
One of the best things about LinkedIn is how we can all learn from one another. So, in that spirit, take your pick of one of these questions and comment below as to how you’d answer it! You never know, you might just help someone to secure their dream job!
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