‘Design a car for the deaf’

It’s no secret that getting a new job is tough, with candidates constantly complaining about the endless hoops recruiters have to jump through to prove they’re a great match, from endless rounds of interviews to 90-minute tests and presentations.

But the challenge is even greater for young people in particular. A fifth of Gen Zers worldwide are classified as “NEETs” and are currently out of the job market. Last year over 1.2 million applications were submitted for just under 17,000 graduate roles in the UK alone.

Even Goldman economists acknowledge that Gen Z’s recruiting nightmare is real — and it’s not going away anytime soon.

As millions of Gen Xers face unemployment and entry-level office roles dwindle, hiring managers are being forced to get creative in finding the best candidates. therefore fate The curveball has rounded up the make-or-break interview questions now shaping hiring decisions.

Do you think we are in an AI bubble?

Do you think we are in an AI bubble? Even experts who predict past accidents cannot agree. But if you’re looking for a job right now, your opinion on all of these can decide whether you get the job or not. Dave McCann, IBM’s managing partner for EMEA, says he now throws the curveball question in interviews as a make-or-break test.

There’s no right or wrong answer, but knowing exactly where you stand can give you an edge and peak an exec’s interest. McCann doesn’t care which side you pick – he cares if you’ve thought it through.

Can you design a car for a deaf person?

Lyft CEO David Risher likes to ask candidates: “Design a car for a deaf person.” The curveball question may sound unusual, but for Risher, it’s a quick way to “suss out” how a candidate can put themselves in a client’s shoes—and he got the idea from his time working with Jeff Bezos.

“I want to see the candidate close their eyes and ears and imagine what that feels like, then be able to describe the experience to me in detail, including what someone in that position would need,” Risher said. “That’s how I know I have someone who can build great customer-facing experiences.”

Do you have any questions for me?

It’s not unusual for an interviewer to turn their head and put the hiring manager on the hot seat. But for Twilio CEO Khozema Shipchandler, it’s something else that matters most.

If your answer is a blank stare or “no, I’m fine,” consider yourself on thin ice.

“The number one red flag for me is when someone doesn’t ask questions at the end of the interview,” Shipchandler said exclusively. fate. “It’s an important mark against them that they’re curious about what they’re interviewing for, the company, the way we work together, the chemistry, the culture, all those things.”

And Denny’s CEO Kelly Valade says it doesn’t really matter what you ask employers at the end of the interview — asking something shows you’ve done your homework, is seriously interested, and is a big green flag.

Can you start immediately?

Picture this: You’ve spent hours applying for a dream job and sitting through multiple interviews. Finally, you think you’ve won over the hiring manager when they ask, “When can you start?”

You’d be forgiven for thinking the correct answer is, “Straight away.” After all, you want to look curious. But Gary Shapiro, chief executive of the US trade association Consumer Technology Association, revealed that he had rejected candidates who made them available within two weeks. “They won’t get a job, because they’ll treat us like we treated that former employer.”

Other things to watch for: coffee cup tests, expensive menu items and wait staff

It’s not just what you say in an interview that can cost you a job. Hiring managers are also watching what you do – when you walk through the revolving doors and great reception. They are looking at how you treat employees before and after your interview, as well as what coffee (or tea) cup you drank from. Hint: The offer to clear it goes down.

Other hiring managers take their potential new hires out for lunch interviews and see if their food is in season before they eat. Why? Because putting salt in your food (or anything) before you taste it is like judging a book by its cover and, frankly, highlights a lack of patience.

Not only that. They are also testing you on how quickly you order, whether others wait to be seated before you sit down to eat, the price of the item you order, and how you treat the wait staff.

A consultant also revealed to X that he knows a CEO who takes candidates to breakfast and secretly asks the servers to mess up their order “to see how they react”.

This story was originally featured on Fortune.com