One of the most important open-ended questions you can ask during an interview is:

What problems are you trying to solve?

Having problems is part of the human existence. Trying to get problems solved is part of what makes life worth living.

Many of us naively think a life without problems would be much better than the one we’re living now.

Not so, according to one of the most successful entrepreneurs in recent years.

A Life with No Problems

Andrew Mason, the founder of Groupon, was recently interviewed by Inc. Magazine after getting fired as the company’s CEO. He started Groupon at 27 years old and left the company when he was 32.

He did not consider the firing a bad thing but rather viewed it like getting out of jail early. It allowed him to leave a complicated situation with a large sum of money and pursue other interests. However, this turn of events had an unexpected consequence:

It turns out you can’t have good ideas after you’ve achieved financial independence—you no longer have real problems that need to be solved. All of my ideas since Groupon have been like, how do I press a button and get something to appear before me right now without moving?

While this sounds like utopia in one sense, there’s a bit of despair in this statement. It reveals something very important about the human spirit.

A Life of Opportunity

People find meaning in solving problems. When your life-energy is focused on something nearby and important to you, a sense of significance soon follows.

This sense of significance is a very powerful motivator.

It’s a huge asset in the recruiting process that can only be activated by your candidates becoming focused on solving the problems that exist in their own lives.

What problem are you trying to solve?

For many candidates, this question can unlock the intrinsic motivation needed to make a career change.

Unless the problem is clearly identified for each unique candidate, your solution will not be relevant.

If you’re the one coaching them through this decision, you’ll not only have a very motivated candidate, but you’ll also have someone who has endeared themselves to you and your organization.

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