CEO Reveals Surprising Answer to Interview Question That Won’t Help You Get the Job

The CEO has revealed the only answer to a common interview question that will stop him from hiring you.

When candidates for a new job are asked when they can start work, they may decide that the sooner the better.

But Gary Shapiro, chief executive of the US trade association the Consumer Technology Association (CTA), argues that deadlines that are too short are a serious red flag.

If you respond in less than two weeks, Shapiro will say no.

“They won’t get the job because they will treat us the same way they treated that former employer.” Shapiro told CNBC this week.

He said he wants employees with “a level of commitment” to their company that means “they won’t leave their employer hanging” – even if they don’t like the job.

He said one candidate who went on to become CTA’s chief operating officer said she needed up to six weeks to finish with her previous employer, and that wasn’t a negative factor for him.

Shapiro led the CTA for more than three decades.

Boss Reveals Question He Won’t Ask Employees

Earlier this year, another CEO went viral online by sharing a common workplace question he doesn’t ask his employees.

Tom Hunt, CEO of British B2B podcast company Fame, said he doesn’t care where his employees come from or why they work.

On LinkedIn, he shared a story about a team member who asked him if she could work from another country for six weeks.

“She continued to explain why… I jump up: “Everything is fine; I don’t need to know why. You decide how the work will be done,” he wrote.

“A different country every month? Everything is fine. Gardening? Everything is fine. A couple of hours of free time to see a doctor? Everything is fine. Working at Wetherspoons after dropping the kids off at school? Everything is fine.

Hunt explained that he doesn’t believe employees have a responsibility to explain to their workplace why they need flexibility.

Flexible working arrangements, including working from home, are a hot topic at the moment as managers increasingly return remote workers to office-based work arrangements.

In a memo sent to employees on September 26, Dell notified employees four days before they would be required to return to the office five days a week, with the change taking effect on September 30.

Likewise, Flight Center employees were ordered to return to the office or stores five days a week, excluding travel.

A memo sent to Australian employees earlier this month pointed to a video of a Brisbane-based human resources and culture executive arguing that “a key part of our culture is the ability to connect with each other personally.”

This follows similar directives from major companies such as Amazon and Tabcorp, as well as NSW Premier Chris Minns’ announcement back in August to end remote working privileges.