“Outsmarting the Interview: The Surprising Question This CEO Uses to Spot Red Flags in Candidates”

Finding a new job can feel like navigating a twisted maze—one minute you’re polishing your CV, and the next you’re drowning in a sea of application forms. It’s a ride fraught with stress and uncertainty, and just when you think you’ve tackled every obstacle, here comes the dreaded interview! You’ve practiced those cringeworthy responses about overcoming challenges and your “greatest weaknesses,” but then the interviewer pulls out a curveball that sends your mind racing. So, what’s the one question that could make or break your chances? For Gary Shapiro, the head of the Consumer Technology Association, it’s all about commitment, and he’s not afraid to gauge it with his unconventional question about how soon you can start. Get ready—because this could be the key to unlocking your future success! LEARN MORE.

The whole process of finding a new job is hell, there’s no two ways about it. From fixing up your CV to filling in endless application forms, it’s one big stressful experience.

And once you’ve got through all of that, if you’re lucky enough, then comes the dreaded interview process.

You’ve memorised ‘the time you overcame a challenge in the workplace’ and know all your best ‘weaknesses’ and ‘strengths’ off by heart. But then, they get you.

Those sneaky interviewers whip out some bizarre question or scenario you’d never heard of before. Or even worse, they do a test without you realising – like Steve Jobs’ ‘beer test’.

And this tech CEO has a simple question he asks all candidates, rejecting people from the job if they give a common answer.

Gary Shapiro has been at the company for over three decades (Ethan Miller/Getty Images)

Gary Shapiro is the head of the Consumer Technology Association (CTA) and just one wrong answer for him can immediately see a hopeful employee disqualified.

It could be pretty easy to be caught out too, because if you’re hoping to come across as eager for the job, that could be the very thing that loses you it.

So, the boss told CNBC that he asks all his applicants how soon they can start the new role – if they’re lucky enough to bag it that is.

And if they tell him they can be ready to start in less than two weeks ‘they don’t get the job, because they’ll treat us the way they treat that former employer’, according to Shapiro.

The 68-year-old stressed the way people leave their old jobs is a ‘really important’ factor when he makes hiring decisions.

“I want an [employee] with a level of commitment to their organization, even if they don’t love their job, where they won’t leave their employer hanging,” he explained.

Job interviews are the worst, right? (Getty Stock Image)

Having been at CTA for a whopping 33 years, he knows a thing or two about what it takes to work there.

Shapiro recently used his go-to question when hiring the company’s new chief operating officer. And the successful candidate told him she’d need up to six weeks to move over from her current role.

He explained: “I was very thankful she answered [in that way], I said, ‘That’s perfect, you got the job.’”

Of course, this question only really works with applicants who are currently in a role when they interview but it’s a clear sign of a person’s dedication to work. So, don’t be being too eager lads, be a good worker.