Ex-Google Recruiter Reveals the No. 1 Question That Makes Her Want to Hire Someone on the Spot

Former Google, Uber, and New York Times recruiter Farah Sharghi explains that the most effective question a job candidate can ask at the end of an interview is 'What's broken?' or a variation thereof. She argues that most candidates waste the opportunity by asking safe questions about culture or growth, while standout candidates focus on the core problem the company needs solved. Sharghi details four specific ways to ask this question: 'What's actually broken right now that you want this person to fix?', 'A year from now, what will make you say that this hire worked out?', 'Who is the person on your team you wish you could clone?', and 'What's the part of this job people underestimate?'. Each question reveals different insights about the candidate's mindset, from problem-solving orientation to understanding team dynamics and success metrics. She emphasizes that the best candidates treat the interview like the first day of work, not an audition.