Inc. magazine asked executives for their favorite interview questions. “Everyone has them. And everyone wishes they had better ones,” says writer Jeff Haden. A few favorites:
If we’re sitting here a year from now celebrating what a great year it’s been for you in this role, what did we achieve together?
“For me, the most important thing about interviews is that the interviewee interviews us. I need to know they’ve done their homework, truly understand our company and the role…and really want it,” says Randy Garutti, CEO of Shake Shack. “The candidate should have enough strategic vision to not only talk about how good the year has been but to answer with an eye towards that bigger-picture understanding of the company – and why they want to be here.”
What things do you not like to do?
“We tend to assume people who have held a role enjoy all aspects of that role, but I’ve found that is seldom the case,” says Art Papas, founder and CEO of Bullhorn. “Getting an honest answer to the question requires persistence, though. I usually have to ask it a few times in different ways, but the answers are always worth the effort. I interviewed a sales candidate who said she didn’t enjoy meeting new people. My favorite was the finance candidate who told me he hated dealing with mundane details and checking his work. Next!”
