Acting vs. A Job Search

The Answers To The Test

From Career Tips, 2025 Volume 10, October 2025

 

I’ve often been asked if in an interview, it’s appropriate to ask questions like:

 

• What would the perfect person for this role look like?
• What qualities are important to you in the person you would hire?
• Who would best succeed in this role?

 

The more I’ve thought about this, the more inclined I am to say “No.”

 

Now of course, this depends on the context and how the question is framed, but let me share my reasoning.

 

The rationale for asking questions like these is that you want to know what I’m looking for, so you know how to position yourself. In other words, you are asking for the answers to the test.

 

I was a hiring manager for over a decade. If I answer these questions, then no matter what you say subsequently, I will remember that you are making your statements already knowing the answers.

 

I know you are going to temper what you tell me by what I’ve shared. You are going to try to sell me on how you meet the criteria I laid out, and shy away from anything that perhaps might be a problem area. That’s only natural, since you are trying to land the job.

 

So unless what you tell me is that you DON’T meet some of the criteria I’ve laid out, why should I believe anything you say about those is genuine?

 

A key suspicion for any interviewer is this:

 

How much are you telling me what you think I want to hear, that will get me to make you an offer?

 And how much is a true representation of what I will actually experience if I do hire you?

 

Asking for the answers to the test immediately raises my suspicion level.

 

So how can you get the answers without digging yourself into this hole?

 

• Do lots of research ahead of time.
• Talk to other people at the company ahead of the interview, especially those who have worked in this particular area. Particularly valuable in this effort can be those who USED TO work at the company.
• Ask the external recruiter. They have an incentive to help get you hired, and want there to be a good fit. They also should want you to get the job, so they can get paid.
• Ask the internal recruiter and HR screener. They are especially interested in finding people who are a good fit to the culture, and will be much more likely to see those as good questions.

 

You can also take a risk and tell the interviewer what makes you unique, and what qualities you bring to the table before asking what they are looking for.

 

This actually is less risky than it sounds, because that interviewer will see you as more authentic, since they haven’t already given you the answers. This can lead to a really good dialog, and in the process you can get a much better feel for whether the job is a good fit for you.

 

You can also ask about specific aspects of the information you seek, when they fit naturally into the context of the conversation. For example, “From what you just told me, it sounds like you are seeking someone who is ….. Am I reading that correctly?”

 

Just try to curb your instincts to ask for the answers to the test!

 

 

Sign up for Career Tips and receive more articles like this every month!