The interview question tech CEO swears by

The CEO of a US firm swears by one interview question that he says tells him whether or not candidates really want the position.

BY Chloe Taylor 29 Jul 2015

During the hiring process, it can be difficult to separate candidates who genuinely want a job from those for whom the interview is just one of many.

For David Politis, CEO of software company BetterCloud, there are specific questions that can pinpoint whether candidates are deserving of the role.

In a recent interview with The New York Times, Politis said that he asks one question to determine whether someone actually wants the position, and if their ideal career path aligns with the role for which they are interviewing.

The question is: “What would be your dream job if you could do anything in the world?”

“My next question is, ‘Why aren’t you doing that?’” he told The Times. “Those two questions will tell you a lot about people’s passions and their fears.”

Next, Politis asks candidates about their priorities at work, as well as their previous experiences.

“[I ask], ‘What do you love every day when you go to work, and what do you hate?’”

He told Business Insider that many companies “feel like they really need to sell certain roles”.

“I used to do this early in my career and learned that it almost always backfires,” he explained. “Both the candidate and employer should spend time talking about the good, bad, and ugly of a role to make sure that it's a good long-term fit and there won't be any surprises down the road.”

Because of this, he said that he now strives to be as honest as possible about the position’s conditions in order to find a candidate who is devoted to the company’s vision and what the role entails.

“My job in the interview process is to really understand the person, what they’re looking to do in their career, and understand if we're going to be a good fit for them,” Politis explained to The Times. “In many cases, I try to dissuade them from taking the job. I try to be as honest as I can about the bad parts of the job and the high expectations.”

According to Politis, the ultimate goal is to fill the position with someone who envisions themselves working with the company for years to come – and will be happy doing so.