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7 best interview questions for high-performing stars
7 best interview questions for high-performing stars

Dave Kline & Austin Belcak

Dave Kline & Austin Belcak

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Dave Kline's Q&A

Dave Kline's Q&A

Question

What I'm Listening For

Answer

Why this works

If I had dinner with your 3 best friends and asked them to describe you, what would I learn?

Honest self-awareness.

3rd party feedback asks them to consider how they’re actually perceived not how they wish they were.

I'd hope they'd share three words with you - thoughful, creative, and persistent

First, I'm answering concisely which conveys confidence. Second, I'm opening the door for more questions about each which allows me to control more of the conversation.

What's the biggest misperception people have about you?

Honesty & humility in a team context.

This also doubles down on self- awareness which is critical for collaboration & growth.

People always think I'm an extrovert! I have to pretend to be for some of my job, but truthfully I'm very introverted. That's why I love writing-focused platforms like Twitter and Linkedln.

Shows genuine self-awareness & redirects to my areas of strength and expertise.

If you were a product, what would your value proposition be?

The positive side of self-awareness.

Do they know their competitive advantage and how to harness it productively? Lack of confidence is just as dangerous as overconfidence.

I can teach people how to build relationships with and add values to almost anyone.

This is almost universally appreciated and something I'm prepared with a strong example to back.

What did you do to prepare for this interview?

Interest, motivation, creativity.

Looking for people who used the opportunity to add value to the organization, not just research facts.

I listened to interviews with [CEO], watched product tutorials, and interviewed [XX] of your customers. From that, I learned that the main goal for this role is to solve for [Thing].

I'm showing how I prep and trying it directly back to their #1 goal for the role.

What is the most significant challenge facing job seekers in your seat today?

Understanding of the profession, an appreciation of the craft and the forces confronting them.

Ideally, they proactively have ideas about addressing that challenge too.

Realizing that if you want jobs most people don't have, you have to do things most other job seekers won't do.

I'm elevating the conversation above just this role and showing broader perspective / knowledge of the space.

Teach me about something you’re obsessed with.

Labels fall away and it's just passion, clarity of thought, and enthusiasm.

It's also a chance to build a deeper view of them on a human level and connect personally.

I am obsessed witn copywriting and believe it's the most valuable skill you can learn for the next 10 years. Here are 4 steps to get better. 1. Write every day 2. Commit to sharing one daily piece 3. Reflect, experiment, and iterate with your work 4. Repeat for 6+ months

Shows mastery, a bias for action.

You need to fill Madison Square Garden 24 hours from now, how do you do it?

Most innovation is at the intersection of preparation, novelty, and practicality.

I'm looking for someone who’ll wrestle with all sides ofthat equation effectively.

I'd tell you to give me 2 hours to think about it and come up with a plan.

Questions like these aren't realistic because no top performer simply pulls a plan for something like that out of thin air. They likely spend a ton of time preparing and planning for it.

There are no rows in this table

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