Here is a great question, with a new twist.
I have used this question in the past, but, for some reason, stopped. Recently though, I modified it a bit to make it much stronger.
Original version: “Take me through a typical day.” Two things are wrong with this phrasing:
- I don’t think in today’s world there is such a thing as “a typical day.”
- When you ask a hypothetical question, all you get is a hypothetical answer.
Here’s the new and improved version: “Take me through your day yesterday from beginning to end.”
Notice how much detail the person goes into. When they tell you something like they got to the office at 7:45 a.m., ask: “Is that typical or is that normal?
This becomes a very powerful question when you are interviewing someone who is not working or going to school. It gives you a great picture of how they are using their time and how serious they are about finding work.
This was originally published on Mel Kleiman’s Humetrics blog.