Know-How Exchange : Career/Training

I remember that sort of question from my interview at university.

One of the more famous questions offered to prospective students was

"Is this a question"

to which one wag answered

"If that is a question, then this is an answer".

However, what you don't want to do is just ask the same tired old questions. "How long have you (yawn) been working in the (yawn) marketing (yawn) and advertising business?" "I see on your CV that (yawn) you did some excellent (yawn) work for the Acme Advertising Agency of 253 Madison Avenue".

So: what is the job you are asking them to do? Will you be able to tell (a) from an interview if they are the right character and (b) able to do the job at all - and not just blab their way through. You don't want a cheery affable accountant who charms the interviewing team off their feet with witty stories.

If you are hiring an accountant, you need someone who is happy to sit in the back office and get down to long hard hours of undisturbed work. You don't need them to be the kind of person who stands by the watercooler chatting to all and sundry. Anybody can do that, and waste you big money in doing so. A bad hire can cost a company $500 000.

You don't just want samples from a graphic designer, ask them about how they arrived at their work.

I need far more information if a sensible answer is to be given. I need to know the job and the level of entry we are talking about.

Moriarty

Here are the two key questions from Melvin Sorcher's book (https://beat-the-oddsinterviews.com/melvinsorcher.html)
"Tell me about your judgement"
"How do you decide what to do each day?"

What KIND of interview? For a job? For an article, book, or television piece? Are you BEING interviewed, or are you DOING the interviewing?

Who is interviewing whom? And for what purpose? Where?