Richard Branson, Elon Musk, Peter Thiel and Other Successful Entrepreneurs' Favorite Interview Questions

'What would someone who doesn't like you say about you?'

General Stanley McChrystal, founder of management consulting firm the McChrystal Group, tells "The 4-Hour Workweek" author Tim Ferriss on his podcast that this question "puts a person in the position of having to try to articulate what they think the perception of them by others is."

The response is less important than how it's delivered, as the question "forces candidates to consider their least attractive qualities and also muster enough courage to share them with someone who holds power over their careers," reports Business Insider's Richard Feloni. 

'Tell me about your failures.'

A good answer to this question is important because it means that the candidate isn't afraid of taking risks and will admit when things don't work out, says Jenny Ming, president and CEO of clothing store Charlotte Russe and former chief executive of Old Navy.

"It doesn't even have to be business; it could be life lessons. I think it's pretty telling. What did they do afterward?" she says. "How did they overcome that? I always look for somebody who's very comfortable admitting when something didn't work out."

People always like to tell you about their successes, she explains, but they don't always want to tell you what didn't work out so well for them.

'How old were you when you had your first paying job?'

Hannah Paramore, president of Paramore, a Nashville-based interactive advertising agency, told the New York Times' Adam Bryant that this is one of her favorite questions. 

"I'm looking for how deeply instilled their work ethic and independence are versus entitlement," she tells Business Insider. "If they worked part time in high school and college because they needed to, especially in jobs that were just hard work, that shows a huge level of personal responsibility. I love people who have to patch success together from a number of different angles."

'What motivates you to get out of bed in the morning?'

In a New York Times interview with Adam Bryant, Brad Jefferson, cofounder and CEO of Animoto, a video slide show service, shared his three favorite interview questions.

He especially loves this one about what motivates people because it helps him understand a candidate's passions and what makes them tick. "I really try to get in their head about what's going to keep them going."

Jefferson tells Business Insider that it's important to understand what motivates a person at their core because "there will always be ups and downs in any business, and you want to make sure the person will be equally motivated during difficult times, if not more so."

He says if you "pursue something that you're passionate about with people who motivate you, then work is really fun, even during the difficult times."

'If I were to say to a bunch of people who know you, 'Give me three adjectives that best describe you,' what would I hear?'

Michelle Peluso, a venture partner at Technology Crossover Ventures and former CEO of Gilt, tells Adam Bryant of the New York Times that this question is far more telling than, "What are you good at?" which is a question she despises.

Here's what she tells each candidate: "OK, I've interviewed an eclectic crowd about you: the guy who delivers your food, the last people you worked with, the person who can't stand you the most, your best friend from high school, your mother's neighbor, your kindergarten teacher, your high school math teacher who loved you, and your last boss." Then she asks: "If I were to say to them, 'Give me three adjectives that best describe you,' what would I hear?"

Peluso says if the candidate gives her three glowing adjectives, she'll remind them that the hypothetical group includes a few people who aren't particularly fond of them.

'Can you tell me the story of you prior successes, challenges, and major responsibilities?'

Lonne Jaffe, senior advisor to the Board of Directors and former CEO at software company Syncsort, says in a New York Times interview with Adam Bryant that he always wants to see how well a job candidate can tell a story. 

He tells Business Insider that as long as we've had language, storytelling has been a powerful communication tool. "In business, creating a compelling narrative is invaluable for motivating a team, explaining strategic priorities in a way that's easy for others to understand, or communicating complex ideas to customers and prospects. Successful senior-level leaders are good storytellers, and it's also a very useful skill early on in your career."

Jaffe says he recognized the importance of storytelling early in his career while working at IBM. "Storytelling is especially important in the tech industry because technology can be "very complex, and sometimes people find technical details to be somewhat boring," he says.

'Can you tell me about a time you ran with a project from start to finish?'

Jess Levin, the founder and chief executive of Carats & Cake, an online wedding resource that features curated content and information about vendors, says she asks each and every job candidate this question.

"We are in the service of small businesses and are a true startup ourselves so we look for people who get what it means to do big things without a lot of hands," Levin tells Business Insider.

She says there is no "one size fits all" answer -- but she always looks for an example that "communicates independent drive, proactive problem solving, and humility."  

"For small, nimble teams, like Carats & Cake, it's so important that everyone shares a desire to be thoughtful and committed to our business and the businesses we work with," she continues. "A sense of humility signals an ability to truly work together and to be open to learning from mistakes and each other."

'If we're sitting here a year from now celebrating what a great 12 months it's been for you in this role, what did we achieve together?'

Randy Garutti, the CEO of Shake Shack, tells writer Jeff Haden that he needs to know candidates have "done their homework, truly understand our company and the role... and really want it."

Garutti continues: "The candidate should have enough strategic vision to not only talk about how good the year has been but to answer with an eye towards that bigger-picture understanding of the company -- and why they want to be here."

'What's your favorite part of your current job?'

Becca Brown, cofounder ofSolemates, a brand of women's shoe care products, says if the candidate is not currently employed, she'll tweak the question and instead ask about the best part of a previous job.

"I want to know what a candidate enjoys doing because not only does it give me insight into who the person is and their personality, but it shows me where I think they can thrive," Brown tells Business Insider. "In general, we all excel when we enjoy what we're doing.  If we can harness what a candidate genuinely enjoys doing in their job, it becomes a win-win situation."

What Brown looks for in a candidate's answer is honesty.

'What would you do in the event of a zombie apocalypse?'

This seems like a ridiculous question to ask, but it's posed to every prospective employee at Capriotti's Sandwich Shop, a national restaurant franchise. Ashley Morris, the company's CEO, says it's the best way to learn how candidates react under pressure.

"There really is no right answer, so it's interesting to get someone's opinion and understand how they think on their feet," Morris explains. "The hope is that for us, we're going to find out who this person is on the inside and what's really important to him, what his morals really are, and if he'll fit on the cultural level."

'A hammer and a nail cost $1.10, and the hammer costs one dollar more than the nail. How much does the nail cost?'

Jeff Zwelling, COO of job search engine ZipRecruiter, says he often turns to tricky questions during job interviews to get a better sense of who the candidate is.

For example, in the middle of the conversation, he often throws in this curveball math question.

"Some candidates will instantly blurt out 10 cents, which is obviously wrong," he tells Business Insider. "They don't have to get the exact right answer, which is a nickel, but I want to see them at least have a thought process behind it."

Zwelling says he understands that math isn't everyone's forte, but he wants them to realize that "10 cents is too easy of an answer, and that if it was that easy, I wouldn't be asking it."

'If you were a consultant what would the sign on your door say?'

George E. Michel, the CEO of Boston Market, or "The Big Chicken" ashis LinkedIn page says, tells Business Insider he asks this to "see what their muscle is, what they excel at, and what value they'll add, or what experience they'll share."

He says what he ultimately looks for in every job candidate is passion for the brand and an ability to articulate why. "I also look for candidates who have relevant experience and stability -- and they have to be a culture fit."

'What is your favorite quote?'

Karen Davis, senior vice president of Global Philanthropy and Social Impact atHasbro, the toy and game giant, tells Business Insider her work is focused on giving back, so she's looking for candidates with "a true sense of passion and purpose." The quote question, she says, helps her figure out who applicants really are and what they truly care about.

While there's no right answer, Davis is looking specifically for candidates with an answer, reports Business Insider.

"You think about the great leaders in this world, and the ones that we remember most are the ones who have really put themselves out there, trying to invoke change," she says. She wants her would-be hires to be following in those footsteps. "I want to see that somebody has been looking for sources of inspiration."

'Who is on your team? Tell me about them.'

When Jim Ayres, the managing director of Amway North America, wants to measure a potential leader's emotional intelligence, he tells Business Insider's Shana Lebowitz that he aks the candidate about his colleagues' family, how they work best, and what typically gets in their way.

"It may seem odd," Ayres says, "but if you're a leader and you know [the answers], it's a good indicator that you have emotional intelligence."

'Who is the best in the world at what you do?'

Drew Houston, the 33-year-old billionaire founder of Dropbox,tells Adam Bryant of The New York Timesthat he has five questions he always likes to ask job candidates:

1. Who is the best in the world at what you do?

2. Who are your influences?

3. What have you learned in the last year?

4. If you were able to sit yourself down 10 years ago, what advice would you give your younger self?

5. What are the most important lessons you've taken away?

As Business Insider previously reported, Houston explains that these questions help him discern if a candidate is passionate about constantly improving. "I'm drawn to people who really love their craft, and treat it like a craft, and are always trying to be better and are obsessed with what separates great from good," he tells Bryant.  

'How would you make money from an ice-cream stand in Central Park?'

Yasmin Green, head of research and development at Jigsaw, Alphabet's tech incubator formerly known as Google Ideas, wants to hire creative, independent thinkers, so she gets candidates to think on their feet by asking them how they'd manage an imaginary ice-cream stand.

"I'm curious to see how people deal with ambiguity and whether they can have fun while thinking on their feet," she says.

Green says that to land a job at Google, you also need to "be prepared to challenge the premise of the question."

'Can you tell me about four people whose careers you have fundamentally improved?'

Jay Parikh, Facebook's global head of engineering and infrastructure, writes for Harvard Business Review that Facebook screens its candidates for "the ability to calibrate to a team environment," Business Insider's Shana Lebowitz reports.

Parikh says asking candidates to talk about people they've helped weeds out "empire builders, self-servers, and whiners."

"Successful candidates should clearly demonstrate that their priorities are company, team, and self -- in that order," he explains.

This story first appeared on Business Insider.