Ask better interview questions
These pieces cover questions to ask the interviewer and suggest behavioral questions, such as asking who on the team they helped progress. A recruiter shares the five questions used in every interview, and Charisma on Command explains why boring questions waste your chance to stand out. 8 picks from the Bez Tytułu newsletter, in reading order.
The picks
Ask interviewers about past team members and promotions
Short · tiktok.com · Issue #120
Ask interviewers behavioural questions about past team members and promotions to learn how the manager actually works.
The speaker recommends asking interviewers behavioral questions, such as who on their team they helped progress, or how they handled two team members in dispute. The speaker says these reveal how the manager works and the culture, more than generic questions about culture or a 30-day plan. Other examples include asking about the last person promoted, and the last person who did not work out and why.
Key points- Ask about a team member the manager helped progress in their career
- Ask about the last person promoted and the last person who did not work out
- The speaker says it is not a trick, and it helps you qualify the job
Same interview questions for every candidate
Short · tiktok.com · Issue #126
Use the same interview questions for every candidate, asking about past jobs, achievements and lowest points to spot red flags.
A recruiter describes the playbook used for every interview. The questions ask how each past job was found, the candidate's biggest achievement (answers with concrete data are a good sign), their lowest point, their manager and what that manager would say in a reference check, and why they left. Patterns across five or six jobs reveal red flags, and the questions take about 20 to 25 minutes.
Key points- Ask how they got each job and whether a previous manager recommended them
- Ask for their biggest personal achievement and look for data, not team bonding
- Ask who their manager was and what that person would say in a reference check
Stop Asking Boring Questions: Do This Instead
Watch · youtube.com · 13 min · Issue #87
Charisma on Command's 2019 video argues that people often freeze around those they want to impress, which can matter for jobs, mentorship or dating. It offers five techniques: asking questions beyond the obvious, using a question preamble, steering toward emotional topics, teasing playfully and disagreeing comfortably. Sean Evans of Hot Ones serves as the example.
Staying in touch can win the next opening
Short · tiktok.com · Issue #118
A rejection can put you first in line for the next opening if you stay in touch with the people who interviewed you.
The speaker says a job rejection can still help. A candidate who built a relationship with the interviewer becomes first in line for the next opening, and may be interviewed before the role is even advertised. The speaker advises staying in touch with people you interviewed with, rather than waiting for a new job to open.
Key points- Being a near-miss makes you first in line for the next role
- Staying in touch lets you interview before the job is even posted
- The speaker frames it as building relationships rather than waiting for openings
The only lie to tell in an interview
Short · tiktok.com · Issue #181
A short TikTok on what it calls the only lie to tell in an interview.
A question to ask when hiring
Short · instagram.com · Issue #168
A short Instagram post on a question to ask when hiring.
Skip the first 37 percent of candidates
Short · tiktok.com · Issue #128
Interview the first 37% of candidates without hiring, then pick the next one who beats the best of them.
A TikTok explains the secretary problem from optimal stopping theory. With 100 candidates interviewed one at a time, where each must be accepted or rejected immediately, the speaker says the best strategy is to reject the first 37 percent, note the best of them as a benchmark, then hire the first candidate who beats it.
Key points- Imagine choosing a secretary from 100 candidates, with no going back
- Optimal stop theory says to review the first 37 people without hiring
- Use the best of that group as a benchmark for the next hire