Another set of meta questions reverses the tables. Try this one: “What criteria would you use for hiring?” Again, you are testing an individual’s understanding of the job, of him- or herself, and of the interview process itself.

Here are some of the best hiring heuristics I discovered this year:

• Good people speak in specifics: They can simultaneously look at the big picture and put their boots to the ground. When they zoom into the work, they’ll mention details you never even thought to consider. Beware of charismatic people who only speak in lofty abstractions. 

• Excepti