Elon Musk has a typical question that he asks all his candidates.
He also has a unique way of judging if a candidate is legitimately exceptional or if they are bluffing.
He asks, “Tell me about some of the most difficult problems you worked on and how you solved them.”
In most cases, leaders credit the success of a company to the right people that they have hired to get the job done. And that hiring is a really difficult job in itself, almost like a gamble. It is critical that the right person is hired, but how do you find out if the person is right for the job or not? Elon Musk seems to have an answer for that. He has a typical question that he asks all his candidates.
As is pretty evident, Musk doesn’t really believe in the marks or degrees that one has. He said in an interview in 2014, “There’s no need even to have a college degree at all or even high school.” Rather, when he hires candidates, he looks for “evidence of exceptional ability.”
He also has a unique way of judging if a candidate is legitimately exceptional or if they are bluffing. He asked them a question that he had shared at the 2017 World Government Summit. He asks, “Tell me about some of the most difficult problems you worked on and how you solved them.” If someone has had a problem like this and they have managed to navigate through it and can present the details, then that means that they are legit.
And this method also works, Musk is not bluffing either. This has been backed by a study published in the Journal of Applied Research in Memory and Cognition. The study highlights the “Asymmetric Information Management” (AIM) technique, which encourages interviewees to provide detailed information. This method helps interviewers judge the truthfulness of candidates’ claims.
As per the research, candidates who are speaking the truth share more detailed responses, while those faking it don’t have that much to share. As per the study, using this method, the likelihood of detecting liars increases by nearly 70%.
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Mustafa Khan
Mustafa is new on the block and is a tech geek who is currently working with Digit as a News Writer. He tests the new gadgets that come on board and writes for the news desk. He has found his way with words and you can count on him when in need of tech advice. No judgement. He is based out of Delhi, he’s your person for good photos, good food recommendations, and to know about anything GenZ. View Full Profile
