Elon Musk asks the same question in every job interview to spot a liar

Elon Musk has revealed which one crucial question he always asks job applicants which tests their trustworthiness.

You may think you can get away with a cheeky embellishment on the old resume or in an interview, making yourself out to be a bit more heroic in a situation which tested you, but not if you're facing Tesla CEO Musk.

In an interview with Auto Bild in 2017, Musk was asked what skills he wants candidates to have.

However, instead of focusing on an applicant's college qualifications or degrees, Musk reveals he typically just focuses in on one question.

While asking them for the 'story of their career,' the X owner reveals: "I really just ask: 'What are some of the tougher problems [you've] dealt with and how [did you] dealt with those?'"

"And how they made decisions at key transition points," he adds.

But why is this one main question so important to Musk?

Getty Images/ Beata Zawrezel/ NurPhote

Well, the current world's richest man explains the one question 'is usually enough' to give him 'a very good gut feeling about someone' and can even reveal whether or not he's being lied to as well.

Musk continues: "What I'm really looking for is evidence of exceptional ability so that they've faced really difficult problems and overcome them.

"And of course, you want to make sure that if there was some significant accomplishment, were they really responsible or was somebody else more responsible."

But how can he tell?

Musk says normally the person who's 'had to struggle with the problem they really understand it and they don't forget'.

He resolves: "So you can ask them very detailed questions about it and they'll know the answer, whereas the person who was not truly responsible for that accomplishment will not know the details."

And don't just take Musk's word for it either, as Indeed has also flagged it as one of the 'eight common problem-solving questions' you could be asked if facing a job interview soon.

The site notes: "If the job you're applying for requires you to think analytically or solve problems, your interviewer may ask some problem-solving questions. These questions can vary between industries and jobs, but some examples come up frequently."

And indeed, one of the questions featued on the employment website has the same theme as Musk's: "Describe a time when you faced an unexpected challenge in your job?"

Alongside what Musk said about simply not lying about it by taking credit where it's not due, Indeed advises: "Explain what challenges you have and what you did to overcome them. You can answer this question using the STAR technique.

"The STAR technique includes explaining the situation, the task, what action you took and the result. Choose an example that has a positive outcome and talk about what you learned from the experience, linking this back to the job description if possible."