In a job interview, it can be complicated to provide compelling answers if we are faced with a trick question. It’s a situation Google CEO Sundar Pichai faced in 2004, when he first interviewed for the position of VP of product management. Discover the trick that allowed him to be recruited and today rise to the head of one of the most powerful companies in the world.
During a encounter with students from the Indian Institute of Technology in 2017, Sundar Pichai recounted how his interview went with one of the largest Tech companies in the world: Google.
During the first exchanges, Sundar Pichai says that the recruiters asked him for his opinion on Gmail. Only small problem? Google had only just announced the messaging service on the same day, which coincided with April 1st. “I thought it was an April Fool’s joke”he remembers. Sundar Pichai simply responded that he was unable to answer the question because he had never used the service.
Any other candidate might have tried to make up an answer to quickly move on to the next question. Sundar Pichai opted for the option of sincerity, which ultimately bore fruit, as he was selected for the post. Here’s why his response was exemplary:
He demonstrated intellectual humility
It is very commonly accepted that telling your recruiter that you do not know the answer to a question can harm you. Responding sincerely remains the best option. Science also agrees. Research have proven that people with intellectual humility learn better. Humility was the main quality sought by Laszlo Bock, former vice president of people operations at Google.
The next time you’re faced with a difficult interview question, keep your cool and don’t hesitate to take the time you need to answer the question. Sundar Pichai thought about the matter carefully. What could he possibly say about a service that he hadn’t even seen or at least used? At the time, Gmail was a newly launched product. So he concluded that it was totally acceptable not to have everything answered during an interview. In addition, we will not hide from you that “know-it-alls” can sometimes annoy recruiters.
He brought a reason
Instead of simply answering “ I don’t know“, Sundar Pichai explained to his interlocutors Why he didn’t know: he never had the opportunity to use the product. That said, he showed curiosity, which is a trait that employers always like to see in a candidate during an interview. Behind each “ I don’t know“, lies a learning opportunity. You should therefore not hesitate to ask your interlocutors to provide more details on a subject to find out more and thus show that you have a keen curiosity.
He redirected the conversation
After affirming what he did not know, Sundar Pichai redirected the conversation to affirm what he did know. Having an overview of Gmail, presented by one of the recruiters, gave him a better understanding of the service.
What should we remember from the story of Sundar Pichai? Giving an honest answer does not exclude substantiating your answer. It is not enough to say “ I don’t know“, you still have to know how to turn this response to your advantage. The whole point of honesty is that it gives you the opportunity to show off your strengths in a completely authentic way.
The CEO of the Tech giant demonstrated impeccable behavior: being well prepared, but also managing a critical situation with respect and frankness. In a moment of uncertainty, he took the bull by the horns, adapted to the challenge and it ultimately paid off.
