'I interviewed over 100 people at Goldman Sachs, and this was the one question I asked every job candidate'
Sarah Jacobs
Before cofounding Solemates, a brand of women's shoe-care products, in 2009, Brown worked at Goldman Sachs for almost six years.
In her various roles, which included analyst, wealth adviser, and chief of staff, she interviewed between 20 and 30 job candidates a year vying for a few highly coveted positions at the investment bank.
"I interviewed over 100 people at Goldman Sachs," she tells Business Insider, "and this was the one question I asked every job candidate: 'What do you like doing the most?' - but I would ask it in two different forms."
Sometimes she asked this question in the form of: "What do you love doing the most in your current or former job?" Other times she asked: "What's your favorite thing to do outside of work?"
"I still love this question because ultimately it gives you insight into who the person really is," she says. "If someone hates making cold calls, but loves data analysis, it's important for you to determine that distinction because each requires totally different skill sets."
If someone enjoys doing a specific job or task, they will probably end up being good at it - or at least passionate about it, Brown adds.
"And I think it's so important to harness people's strengths," she says.
- A centenarian who starts her day with gentle exercise and loves walks shares 5 longevity tips, including staying single
- A couple accidentally shipped their cat in an Amazon return package. It arrived safely 6 days later, hundreds of miles away.
- FSSAI in process of collecting pan-India samples of Nestle's Cerelac baby cereals: CEO
- 7 Nutritious and flavourful tiffin ideas to pack for school
- India's e-commerce market set to skyrocket as the country's digital economy surges to USD 1 Trillion by 2030
- Top 5 places to visit near Rishikesh
- Indian economy remains in bright spot: Ministry of Finance
- A surprise visit: Tesla CEO Elon Musk heads to China after deferring India visit