Deloitte CTO on how to standout in any interview

I’m a Chief Technology Officer at Deloitte.

I’ve hired 100+ people in my career and I know in the first 9 minutes if a candidate has what it takes.

Here are 10 things that will make you stand out in any interview:

1/ Honesty

I’ve seen many people claim they know everything.

But when asked in detail, they got stuck.

Instead, let me know what concepts you:

• never heard of
• haven’t used in a while
• want to learn more about

They will come up, eventually.

2/ The right attitude

I care less about skills and more about attitude.

Skills can be taught, attitude is deep-rooted.

I want people to be:

• positive
• trustworthy
• solution-oriented

If you want to be on my team, I need you to solve things, not blame other people.

3/ Don’t talk s**t about their previous job

Most people change jobs because of:

•their boss
• more money
• opportunities for development

Sometimes, it’s just not the right fit.

This doesn’t mean you should discredit a company just because you want to leave it.

4/ Chemistry

Zuckerberg has one rule with regard to hiring:

“I will only hire someone to work directly for me if I would work for that person”

I want to respect the candidate and share common values.

Do I see myself working with her for 10+ years?

5/ Communication skills

I want my team to be able to:

• debate
• exchange ideas
• negotiate solutions

Communication is the number one factor related to a team’s success.

So I am very interested in how well you express a point of view. Without being aggressive.

6/ Don’t be a “yes man”

I’ll discuss some fictive scenarios and ask for feedback.

I want people who can challenge:

• my decisions
• the status quo
• the direction of the team

I don’t want to hire mindless robots, but people who I can trust to get the right job done.

7/ Preparation

Planning is a key aspect of any project.

So I need to see if the candidate is really interested in the position and has done her homework.

• went through the job description in detail
• researched the industry and company
• prepared for common questions

8/ Asking questions

I want to have interactive discussions instead of just asking questions.

• what challenges I’ll be facing?
• what does success mean for this position?
• why did the previous person leave the role?

These are some of the best but the list is a lot longer.

9/ Passion

Citadel founder and CEO, Ken Griffin, has one mandatory requirement for candidates: passion.

If I don’t see the passion:

• for the role
• for the domain
• for transformation

We won’t work well together.

10/ Proven track record

I left it last but it’s probably the most important.

What have you built or helped build?

• personal projects
• successful products
• processes you improved

Show me, don’t tell me. Anyone can write anything in a CV.

What I look for in an interview candidate:

• Honesty
• Passion
• Chemistry
• Preparation
• The right attitude
• Asking questions
• Proven track record
• Communication skills
• They are not “yes men”
• Don’t talk s**t about their previous job

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