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<\/p>\nIt was way back in 2017 when Elon Musk sat down with Auto Bild and revealed one trait he values the most in a new hire. So, is it the academic credentials that matter the most to the billionaire? It turns out they don\u2019t. Instead, he relies on a single question to cut through the noise.<\/p>\n
\u201cI really just ask: \u2018What are some of the tougher problems [you\u2019ve] dealt with and how [you] dealt with those?\u2019\u201d Musk explained and added he asks people to walk him through the \u201cstory of their career,\u201d focusing specifically on how they handled those high-stakes forks in the road.<\/p>\n
So, why obsess over one question?<\/p>\n
Musk uses it to quickly gauge a candidate\u2019s character and whether they are blowing smoke.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat I\u2019m really looking for is evidence of exceptional ability, meaning they\u2019ve faced really difficult problems and overcome them,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
He\u2019s looking for the real \u201carchitects\u201d of a project. \u201cYou want to make sure that if there was a significant achievement, they were the ones behind it\u2014not someone else.\u201d<\/p>\n
Musk added that once you have been in the trench, you would never forget it. \u201cYou can ask them very detailed questions about it, and they\u2019ll know the answer. But someone who wasn\u2019t truly responsible won\u2019t know the details,\u201d he noted.<\/p>\n
Indeed even includes Musk\u2019s go-to question as one of the \u201ceight common problem-solving questions\u201d you will most certainly face in an interview. When seeking someone who is quick on their feet, you will most likely be asked: \u201cDescribe a time when you faced an unexpected challenge in your job.\u201d<\/p>\n
The gold standard for answering this is the STAR technique:<\/p>\n
Situation \u2013 Set the scene.
\nTask \u2013 Define your role.
\nAction \u2013 Show your work.
\nResult \u2013 Prove the impact.
\nPicking a meaty, honest example is usually the deciding factor.<\/p>\n
For Musk, his life\u2019s story is about the impossible becoming reality, from the Hyperloop to Mars colonies. For him to construct this world, he needs innovators, not simply individuals who can take exams. This is reflected in his interviewing process.<\/p>\n
The Tesla CEO (and owner of X) told UNILAD: \u201cI really just ask: \u2018What are some of the tougher problems [you\u2019ve] dealt with, and how [did you] deal with those? And how they made decisions at key transition points.\u201d He claims this simple prompt is his ultimate litmus test for trust and spotting a liar.<\/p>\n
Musk added, \u201cWhat I\u2019m really looking for is evidence of exceptional ability so that they\u2019ve faced really difficult problems and overcome them. And of course, you want to make sure that if there was some significant accomplishment, were they really responsible, or was somebody else more responsible.\u201d<\/p>\n
His logic is simple: if you\u2019ve lived through a problem, the scars and the strategies stay with you. \u201cSo you can ask them very detailed questions about it and they\u2019ll know the answer, whereas the person who was not truly responsible for that accomplishment will not know the details.\u201d<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
Science actually backs him up. A study in the Journal of Applied Research in Memory and Cognition looked into \u201cAsymmetric Information Management\u201d (AIM), a method designed to catch deception by pushing for verifiable details.<\/p>\n
As researcher Cody Porter put it, \u201cSmall details are the lifeblood of forensic investigations and can provide investigators with facts to check and witnesses to question.\u201d<\/p>\n
From the data obtained from the experiment, honest individuals tend to add more and more specifics to their stories, whereas liars keep things vague. This difference is precisely what one would expect when trying to look beneath the polished surface.<\/p>\n
If you want to land yourself a desk at Tesla or SpaceX, then here\u2019s the gist of it: skip the fluff, get specific, and be ready to back up your story.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
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