Job interviews can be grueling affairs. Between preparing your résumé, rehearsing potential questions, and dressing the part, the process can be enough to drive anyone mad. Now, imagine all the fun of an interview, but with one of the most powerful entrepreneurs of the 21st century, Elon Musk. The SpaceX and Tesla Motors CEO is well-known for his difficult interview style, according to his recent biography.
In the book Elon Musk, writer Ashlee Vance gives details of what time spent in a Musk interview is like:
“Elon will likely keep on writing e-mails and working during the initial part of the interview and not speak much. Don’t panic. That’s normal,” Vance writes in the book. “Eventually, he will turn around in his chair to face you. Even then, though, he might not make actual eye contact with you or fully acknowledge your presence. Don’t panic. That’s normal. In due course, he will speak to you.”
Sounds pleasant, right? Well, in fact, it gets a lot worse. When Musk eventually decides to speak to sweaty prospects, he tries to catch them off guard by going into riddle mode:
“You’re standing on the surface of the Earth,” Musk begins, according to the book. “You walk one mile south, one mile west, and one mile north. You end up exactly where you started. Where are you?”
YIKES. Musk apparently has honed his interview skills over time as well, by conducting sessions with the first one-thousand hires at SpaceX.
While Musk is an intimidating presence in the interview room, that’s no reason for prospects to wilt like a dying flower. Sometimes, being bold works. Just ask George Constanza.
(Via: Mashable)