What would Your Next Dream Job Look Like?

Every time I interview a candidate for a role, I ask them the same question:

What would your next dream job look like?

They usually start giving the basic answers they think I'm expecting: a great team, amazing projects, great culture… before they summarize the job description.

So I rephrase.

What would your next job look like in your craziest dreams? Tell me your list to Santa. For example, I wanted a job where I can work in socks all day, or take a 30 minutes nap at lunch time without anyone even noticing.

They usually laugh, before they start to tell me what they're really looking for. Answers are usually diverse, from a loose dress code — easy in the tech world — to being able to work from anywhere in the world or taking their cat at work.

I'm not Santa, and my job is not to fulfill every people I hire wildest dreams, even though I can make some of them come true. But knowing what they secretly hope for helps me to understand whether or not they might be happy coming at work every day.

Photo: Trail of Lights, Jon Lebkowsky, CC.