Netflix's head of recruiting shares her favorite job-interview question, and one of the best answers she's received to it

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Netflix's head of recruiting shares her favorite job-interview question, and one of the best answers she's received to it
Valarie Toda Netflix
  • Netflix's head of recruiting, Valarie Toda, said her favorite question to ask job candidates is, "When was the last time that you gave direct feedback to your boss?"
  • The job-interview question is meant to assess how comfortable candidates would be giving and receiving feedback and how they might handle conflict, which are key parts of Netflix's culture.
  • One of the best answers she received owned up to never having given critical feedback to a boss.
  • Click here for more BI Prime stories.

The toughest questions that come up in job interviews at Netflix tie back to the company's workplace culture.

Netflix's head of recruiting, Valarie Toda, told Business Insider that her favorite job-interview question is, "When was the last time that you gave direct feedback to your boss?"

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The question is meant to assess how comfortable candidates would be giving and receiving feedback and how they might handle conflict.

Integrity and communication are two the 10 core values that Netflix outlines in its current culture memo. "You say what you think, when it's in the best interest of Netflix, even if it is uncomfortable," the memo says.

Employees at Netflix are encouraged to regularly give feedback to other employees, including their bosses, all the way up to CEO Reed Hastings.

Not every workplace is that open. Toda said one candidate nailed this interview question by simply admitting he had never given critical feedback to his boss before.

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The person answered, according to Toda:

"I've never done it. I've never been in an environment where I felt safe to do that. But ... I read the culture memo and I know that I'm going to need to do it here. It's one of the reasons I'm interviewing, because I want to build that skill."

"He identified it as something he hadn't done and he was honest with me," Toda said. "He'd also identified it as a reason that he wants to be at Netflix ... It was super powerful and showed me he has the self awareness as well as the courage to be really successful here."

The answer speaks to the range of qualities that Netflix looks for in new hires. Courage is another one of Netflix's 10 values. "You are able to be vulnerable, in search of truth," the culture memo says.

Even candidates who have never worked in an environment like Netflix can score points with recruiters by giving candid and thoughtful responses that show their passion for the company's culture.

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Read our full BI Prime guide on how to get hired at Netflix in 2020: Exactly what it takes to get a job at Netflix, according to its head of hiring, former employees, and recruiting experts


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