The 3 interview questions one CEO asks every job candidate

Twitter/@digitaloriLori Senecal.

CEOs often know what they want, and some have creative ways of figuring out who can deliver.

In a recent interview with Adam Bryant of the New York Times, Lori Senecal, CEO of the MDC Partner Network and global CEO of advertising agency CP+B, says there are three things she looks for in every job candidate. She also shares the clever questions she asks to figure out whether job seekers possess those traits.

First, she says, she looks for the "inventor mind-set.""I'll say, 'What have you invented?'" she tells Bryant. "That doesn't mean you have to have created a robot that can get a beer from a fridge. It could be anything. It's to see whether they have the mind-set of creating something. That shows a desire to find fresh solutions."Next she wants to know whether they have the ability or desire to collaborate.To figure out if they've got it, she says: "Talk to me about one of your greatest achievements," and then she'll "listen to the story from the perspective of whether it was an 'I' and 'me' achievement or a 'we' achievement," she explains.Lastly, she wants to detect passion and commitment."I'll say, 'Tell me about a time when you really had to stick your neck out for the greater good of the mission,'" she tells Bryant. "You want to see whether people were willing to take bold action to move the mission forward."

Senecal tells Business Insider that it's important to embrace talent that embodies original thinking, a spirit of collaboration, and passion and dedication, "since those are the traits it takes to excel in a modern, creative work environment."

Read the full New York Times interview here.

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