Glassdoor CEO ‘loves’ to ask this simple question during job interviews—it can reveal a major red flag

Christian Sutherland-Wong has a few go-to questions for job interviews. His favorite: What’s your dream job?

The simple question gives him a glimpse into the character of potential hires, the Glassdoor CEO says. “Typically when people interview with me, it’s one of the later rounds,” says Sutherland-Wong, who’s helmed the job review website since 2020. “By then, [their capabilities] have been assessed. So I just want to get to know the person.”

Each candidate’s answer could potentially reveal a major red flag: someone who doesn’t have goals and aspirations.

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“An answer that may not resonate well is when there’s not a lot of thought around what they want to do in their career,” Sutherland-Wong says. “If there’s not a lot of energy in their answer, I want to keep probing and find out [if this is] the right person.”

Answers like “I’m not sure,” “I haven’t really thought about it” or “I just want a job that pays me well” can show a lack of purpose or career drive.

“We want people who have big ambitions [and] big dreams,” says Sutherland-Wong.

Sutherland-Wong isn’t the only hiring manager who asks the dream job question — so your odds of encountering it one day are decent. If you find yourself stumped on a good answer, remember to highlight the role you’re interviewing for, says LinkedIn career expert Andrew McCaskill.

“The best responses to questions about your dream job should show how the current role will help you reach that dream,” says McCaskill, who’s been a vice president for companies like Weber Shandwick and Nielsen. “A common mistake candidates make during the job hunt is leaving the impression they want just ‘a’ job instead of ‘this’ job. Enthusiasm for the job on the table is important.”

If your dream job is at a different company or in a different industry, you can still shape your answer so it connects to the position at hand. Try saying something like: “Ultimately, my dream job is one that allows me to use [key skills] to make a meaningful impact and have [key responsibilities]. Your company’s mission to [specific values of the company] is a perfect fit for that.”

Directly telling the hiring manager that this role doesn’t align with your future goals could cause you to lose the opportunity.

“You don’t tell a CMO interviewing you for a marketing job that your dream job is in corporate finance,” McCaskill says. “The interviewer may appreciate your transparency, but [they] will likely let you do that calculus and soul searching on someone else’s payroll.”

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