CEO reveals surprising answer to interview question that won't get you the job

An executive has revealed the one answer to a common job interview question that will stop him from hiring you.

When candidates for a new job are asked when they can start, they may assume that the sooner the better.

But Gary Shapiro, CEO of the Consumer Technology Association of America (CTA), sees that too-short time frame as a major red flag.

If your answer is less than two weeks, that's a big no from Shapiro.

“They don't get the job, because they will treat us the same way they treated our previous employer.” Shapiro told CNBC this week.

He said he wants employees who have a “level of commitment” to their company, which means “they won't leave their employer hanging” — even if they don't like the job.

One candidate who became CTA's director of operations said she needed up to six weeks to finish working with her previous employer, and that wasn't a negative for him, he said.

Shapiro has been president of the CTA for more than three decades.

The boss reveals a question he wouldn't ask employees

Earlier this year, another CEO went viral for sharing a common workplace question he doesn't ask his employees.

Tom Hunt, CEO of UK-based B2B podcasting company Fame, has revealed that he doesn't care where his employees work or why.

On LinkedIn, he shared a story about a team member who asked him if she could work from another country for six weeks.

She went on to explain why… She jumped in: 'It's all good; Everything is fine; “You don't need to know why. You decide how to get the work done,” he wrote.

“A different country every month? It's all good. Working from the garden? It's all good. A few hours for a doctor's appointment? It's all good. Working from Wetherspoons after taking the kids to school? It's all good.”

Hunt explained that he does not believe employees owe explanations in their workplace for why they need flexibility.

Flexible work arrangements, including working from home, are a current hot topic as bosses increasingly reintroduce in-office workdays to remote employees.

In a memo issued to employees on September 26, Dell gave employees four days' notice before they would be required to return to the office five days a week, with the change starting on September 30.

Likewise, Flight Center employees have been ordered to return to their offices or stores five days a week, except when traveling.

A memo shared earlier this month to Australian staff referred to a video with the Brisbane-based chief of staff and cultural officer, who claimed that “a fundamental part of our culture is the ability to bond together in person”.

This follows similar guidance from major companies such as Amazon and Tabcorp, along with an announcement from NSW Premier Chris Means in August declaring the end of remote working privileges.