A colleague from another shop and I recently talked about hiring and how you ferret out talent in an interview. We traded interview questions and, while I don’t want to post his without permission, you’re more than welcome to use mine.

“Nice {article of clothing, briefcase, portfolio or whatever} Where’d you get it?”
Tells me a bit about their ability to handle unanticipated questions — how well do they communicate when the topic moves beyond something they’re prepared for?

“What are your co-workers like?”
Tests for tact, diplomacy and descriptive skills.

“Tell me about the job you’re interviewing for three years from now — why will you land it?”
Frankly, I never hired people who didn’t have a solid answer for this because I distrust people who don’t have a plan. You can vary from your plan, but you need to have one.

“How much do you want to make in this position?”
Yes, it’s an uncomfortable question for a lot of people, but how you answer it tells me quite a bit about how you’ll act under pressure with clients, how confident you are, etc.

The last question isn’t a question at all. Whenever I was interviewing AE types, I’d try to get them an agency backgrounder and a copy of my own, personal resume to look over before the interview. The questions a candidate asked based on that information tell you more about them than just about anything you could ask directly.

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