3 'killer' interview questions one CEO asks every job candidate

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James Caan

LinkedIn

James Caan, CEO of the Hamilton Bradshaw Group.

Most job candidates walk in to interviews expecting (and therefore, prepared to answer) questions like, "Why should we hire you?" and "What are your biggest weaknesses?"

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But James Caan, CEO of the Hamilton Bradshaw Group and a LinkedIn Influencer, says in a recent LinkedIn post that if you really want to get to know someone, you need to catch them off guard.

"Never one to follow the crowd, through my 30 years' experience interviewing candidates I've fashioned my very own set of questions designed to throw them off course and get down to the nitty gritty - to see a little of the real McCoy, not just your interview alter ego," Caan writes.

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His "killer" questions, he explains, are actually just the typical, expected queries "in disguise."

Here are three of them:

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1. If I called your manager and asked what one thing irritated them about you, what would they say?

"In reality, it's just another way of asking what your biggest weakness is," he says. "The secret to answering this type of question is making it relevant and relative to the role you're interviewing for."

2. What was your claim to fame in your previous role?

This one, of course, is asking, "What are your strengths?"

"Here I want to know what you excelled at in your previous role; what would your previous colleagues tell me you were known for? Give me something character building," writes Caan.

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3. If you had a magic wand and could have any job, what would it be?

One of Caan's favorites, he uses it in every interview because he's "always surprised by the reaction it receives."

"The general rule for this question is always answer with something in the same or similar industry or role you're applying for," he writes. "You'd be surprised how many people forget they're in an interview when I ask this question - some of the answers I've had are priceless!"

Read the full post here.

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