Here's the unusual interview question one CEO asks every job candidate

Holly Lay/flickr"How can I tell if you're having a bad day?"

Just because someone is qualified for a job doesn't mean they're the right person for it. To really make it work, they also need to be a great cultural fit.

That's why Gary Smith, CEO of broadband and telecommunications company Ciena, likes to ask interview questions that help him determine just that.

In a recent interview with Adam Bryant of The New York Times, Smith said he typically asks questions like, "What's it like to work for you?" "How do you interact with your peers?" and "What do you do if you don't agree with the direction of the company?" to determine if a candidate would fit in at his company.

But he also throws in one oddball question: "How can I tell if you're having a bad day, and how does that manifest itself?"

Smith told Bryant that candidates often pause to think before answering. "If they say they become quiet, then I'll ask, 'Tell me what comes next? How do you deal with it? Do you walk away from the issue?' And I'll drill down on that, because it leads to a lot of good discussions around what motivates them, and what they enjoy about their work and what they don't like about it."

Read the full New York Times interview here.

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