GB Ep 39: The Most Important Interview Question You Need to be Asking

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Hello and welcome to another edition of Growth Bites. Today we’re going to talk about the number one interview question you need to be asking. This is a question that’s used by Elon Musk and a lot of other big companies. It’s a really effective question that gets your prospective employees talking.

• The question is “What is the most impressive thing you’ve done in your career to date?” [01:32]
• This question shows what they think is impressive, how detail-oriented they can be, and lets you know if they’re talking about the right things to be a fit for your company. [01:40]
• This question alone isn’t enough – the follow-up questions are the ones that will add a lot more context. [02:07]
• After their answer, you say “tell me more.” This gives them two open-ended questions they’re forced to think about and explain. [02:32]
• Once you get into the nitty-gritty, some people start to fall apart. [03:00]
• For example, if you say “tell about your process for accomplishing this,” the detail-oriented people will give you a step-by-step process, and people who are BS-ing won’t know how to answer. [03:08]
• When people are giving short answers and coming off a little confused, you can eliminate them from the hiring process. [04:13]
• Another question you can ask is “Why do you think this is impressive?” to see if they’re higher-level thinkers or more mediocre. [04:29]

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