A manager has revealed the 'upping questions' technique he uses in every job interview to assess a candidate's curiosity and ability to learn, saying it helps him hire the best workers. Responding to a Reddit thread titled, "Managers, do you have special 'tests' for interviewees that you put them through without their knowing?", he explained how he deliberately ramps up his questions during the interview to gauge each candidate's reaction.
He said: "I used to do interviewing for a job that was, basically, hacking the internet. At some point in the interview I'd ask them increasingly advanced questions until they came to something they didn't know. Then I'd explain it to them. If they thought the new thing was really cool, that was a big plus. It showed they really were interested in the job itself, not just in the paycheck."
Candidates share their experiences
One user responded to his post by sharing how they nearly landed a role they were underqualified for, purely down to their eagerness to learn. They said: "I almost got a job I was not qualified for through acting like this. I was completely upfront about my qualifications, said immediately when I didn't know something, but then tried to reason my way through it, or asked. It was genuinely interesting, and I actually heard later they would have hired me, figuring that I could be brought up to speed relatively quickly, if HR hadn't shot them down because of my resume."
A further user said: "That's the way I do all technical interviews. Ask general questions, find something they don't know, explain it, then have them apply it to another question. You can never expect someone to know everything, but the ability to learn quick is way better than knowing everything."
Reactions and other interview advice
Inspired by this approach, one user commented: "I really like that style of interviewing. I'm going to apply that to future interviews." Rounding off the discussion, a final user said: "I am lucky enough to work at a company that's 'doing it right'. Our one and only HR person does the initial phone screen to make sure candidates aren't unreliable psychopaths, and that's it. Every single person after that who talks to the candidate is someone who is actively working in the department they're applying to."
Another career specialist has also shared advice on how to answer the dreaded question: 'What's your biggest weakness?' Posting the "life pro tip" on social media, a career-savvy user explained exactly how candidates should approach the tricky question to make a good impression on interviewers.
They said: "When a job interviewer asks, 'What's your biggest weakness?', interpret the question in practical terms rather than in terms of personality faults. Sometimes I let people take advantage of me', or 'I take criticism personally' are bad answers. 'I'm too honest' or 'I work too hard' even if they believe you, make you sound like you'll be irritating to be around or you'll burn out. Instead, say something like, 'My biggest weakness with regards to this job is, I have no experience with [company's database platform]' or 'I don't have much knowledge about [single specific aspect of job] yet, so it would take me some time to learn.'"
While this approach involves admitting to a genuine shortcoming, it's one that's directly relevant to the role and can be addressed through training. It also allows candidates to demonstrate honesty, self-awareness and a willingness to learn, rather than relying on a cliché answer that could leave a poor impression.
