If you fail this job interview question, you will be given an “X.”
SpaceX founder and Tesla CEO Elon Musk has revealed his favorite, time-tested job interview question that detects liars.
At the 2017 World Government Summit, Musk admitted that he asks all job applicants, “Tell me about the most difficult problem you’ve ever worked on and how you solved it.”
Musk believes the question can weed out dishonest candidates, which he cites as evidenced by “Asymmetric Information Management (AIM),” an approach he describes as “enhancing the detection of verbal lies by encouraging truth-tellers (non-liars) to provide information openly.” Applied Cognitive Psychology.
There are several ways to spot a liar. According to published research The study was published in the Journal of Applied Research in Memory and Cognition in December 2020.
If candidates provide detailed answers to Musk’s questions, they are more likely to tell the truth, as opposed to those who give vague answers.
“Details are the lifeblood of a forensic investigation, providing investigators with facts to verify and witnesses to question,” wrote Cody Porter, one of the study’s authors.
Because liars provide few or no details to “cover their guilt,” when the AIM method is implemented, it may be perceived as strategically concealing information.
“They assume that providing more information will make it easier for investigators to detect their lies, so instead they provide less information,” Ported added.
Musk is using the AIM process to narrow down applicants, but he is looking for employees who demonstrate “evidence of extraordinary ability.”
To ensure that the resume matches the applicant, Musk will conduct an interview to determine if the applicant is really who they say they are.
“If you have a track record of strong performance, there’s a good chance that will continue into the future,” Porter said.
