Being the CEO of Tesla and one of the most successful people in the world means that Elon Musk probably has a few tricks up his sleeve to determine if his employees are lying to him.
According to a report by CNBC, Musk asks probable candidates a single question to determine if they're lying to him.
In the past, Musk has been very open about what he looks for in his employees. And no, it is not a fancy degree. Reportedly, Musk said last year that he does not really care if the members of his Artificial Intelligence (AI) team have a PhD degree or even a high school degree. He said he would prefer employees with a deeper understanding of AI and you don't need a degree for that. The AI team reports directly to Musk.
When it comes to resumes and job interviews, many do lie while others tend to just embellish certain facts. A report by CNBC found that 26% of people under the age of 40 admitted to lying on their resumes.
But Musk believes that his question can help filter honest candidates from the liars.
In 2017, while speaking at the World Government Summit, Musk said that he asked all potential employees he hires this question -- “Tell me about some of the most difficult problems you worked on and how you solved them.”
It's not even a trick question. Musk's logic is fairly simple. He believes that if a person did solve the problem they talk about, they will be able to describe in minute details how they went about it. They would be able to take the interviewer through the process step-by-step.
However, if they are making up false scenarios in order to impress Musk, they will not be able to convincingly defend the solution.
According to an article in The Conservation, Musk's method is actually scientifically proven. Research shows that people who are telling the truth and those who are lying are likely to behave differently. And small details are crucial. They can help the interviewer determine if a person is telling the truth or lying. Someone who is telling the truth is more likely to provide minute details in order to prove their innocence - something that can be quite tricky if you're making it up.