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Like many CEOs, Gary Shapiro, the executive chair and former CEO of U.S. trade association Consumer Technology Association, has one make-or-break interview question he asks hopeful new hires\u2014and says he will turn candidates down if they answer it wrong.<\/p>\n
Picture this: You\u2019ve spent hours applying for the dream job and sitting through multiple interviews. Finally, you think you\u2019ve won over the hiring manager when they ask, \u201cwhen can you start?\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
You\u2019d be forgiven for thinking the right answer, is \u201cstraight away.\u201d After all, you want to seem eager.\u00a0<\/p>\n
But be warned: Shapiro says being available within two weeks is a big red flag that could land you in the rejection pile. \u201cThey don\u2019t get the job, because they\u2019ll treat us the way they treat that former employer,\u201d Shapiro recently told CNBC in 2024.<\/p>\n
\u201cI want an [employee] with a level of commitment to their organization\u2014even if they don\u2019t love their job\u2014where they won\u2019t leave their employer hanging.\u201d<\/p>\n
Unless, of course, you\u2019re unemployed\u2014in which case, the pass-fail question doesn\u2019t apply.<\/p>\n
Fortune has contacted Shapiro for comment.<\/p>\n
The loyalty test applies to exiting employees too<\/p>\n
It\u2019s perhaps unsurprising that Shapiro values loyalty among workers\u2014after all, the 69-year-old has worked in his current post as CTA\u2019s chief exec for more than three decades.<\/p>\n
For Shapiro, it doesn\u2019t matter how senior the prospective candidate is, they\u2019ll still be subject to the same test\u2014and the longer their notice period, the better.<\/p>\n
Shapiro said he used the go-to question when hiring the company\u2019s chief operating officer. He recalled being \u201cvery thankful\u201d that she said need up to six weeks to adequately transition from her former job.<\/p>\n
\u201cI said, \u2018That\u2019s perfect. You got the job,\u201d he added.<\/p>\n
Although Shapiro didn\u2019t specify her name in the interview, Christina Brady is CTA\u2019s COO according to the association\u2019s website.<\/p>\n
He even applies a similar loyalty test to employees already in the business when they hand in their notice period.<\/p>\n
Departing under good conditions, including giving at least two weeks\u2019 notice is often a consideration whenever CTA rehires \u201cboomerang\u201d employees, Shapiro added.<\/p>\n
Interview questions have been put under the microscope because of AI<\/p>\n
Shapiro\u2019s interview test may have stood the test of time, but many hiring managers today are tossing their go-to questions out of the window because of AI.<\/p>\n
Elon Musk\u2019s xAI cofounder even called out a cheating interviewee on X. Instead of stumbling through tough questions, the candidate was using large language models to answer them and then reading responses from the side of their screen.<\/p>\n
Greg Yang, one of 12 cofounders at Musk\u2019s latest AI venture, said a \u201ccandidate tried to use Claude during the interview, but it was way too obvious.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
The job seeker in question even revealed that prior candidates had leaked the interview questions they were asked on websites like 1point3acres and Cscareers.<\/p>\n
Outside of the tech industry, employees have been trying to help their peers outsmart the interview process by sharing thorny questions on the likes of Glassdoor: Fortune was able to find many of the quirky riddles Goldman Sachs asks its candidates on the careers platform.<\/p>\n
Yang\u2019s post inspired other employers to speak out about the way savvy job seekers are abusing AI tools\u2014and how some are scrapping their trusty interview questions in favour of a more conversational approach in response.<\/p>\n
One employer even said he now asks the candidate to ask him questions about the job: \u201cIf they can\u2019t adequately question you, they probably don\u2019t have enough experience.\u201d<\/p>\n
A version of this story originally published on\u00a0Fortune.com\u00a0on\u00a0November 1, 2024.<\/p>\n
CEOs, Fortune wants to hear from you: What are your hiring red flags? Do you have any make-or-break questions? Get in touch\u00a0Orianna.Royle@fortune.com <\/p>\n
Other hiring tests Orianna has covered include:<\/p>\n
#Red #flag #test #CEO #explains #rejects #job #candidates #start<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
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