My Favorite Interview Curveball
And three questions that suck
First, let’s throw some shade at these painful interview questions:
If you were an animal, which one would you be and why?
How many golf balls can you fit into a school bus?
Where do you see yourself in five years?
Everyone knows the right answers to these are as follows:
Tardigrade because they are indestructible
One giant novelty golf ball the size of a bus
Alive but five years older
Now for my favorite curveball:
“What is one reason you would decline an offer to join our team?”
Here’s why:
During an interview, we often have a very short amount of time to gauge whether someone is the right person for our team. My own top priorities when interviewing are:
Break through the BS filter.
Learn how someone thinks and communicates.
This question helps me do both.
When we are in the hiring seat it's easy to forget that not only are we interviewing a candidate for an open position, they are also interviewing us. Nothing is perfect. All teams and companies have their issues. Helping a job candidate beat the sunk cost fallacy and think in terms of pros and cons is essential to making the right decision for themselves and their career.
This question is designed to make a candidate take a step back for a moment and reflect on why they may NOT want the job. It also sets us up to address any concerns they have. I’ve seen three different types of answers to this curveball:
Everything is fine, I want this job now!
I’m unsure but here are a few hypotheticals.
Here is a list of exactly what concerns me.
Unlike the answers to the questions at the top, there isn’t a right or wrong answer here. Each of these are pathways to a deeper conversation about what the job candidate is looking for and how the job, team, and company they are looking to join fulfills those needs. Or doesn’t.
Give it a shot!