Accenture CEO Julie Sweet has a simple way to figure out if job candidates are the right fit for her company. In a podcast interview with Nicolai Tangen, the CEO of Norges Bank Investment Management, Sweet shared that one key question she asks all applicants, no matter the role. It is: “What have you learned in the last six months?”
She said: “One question that we ask everyone, regardless of if you’re a consultant or you’re working in technology … we say: ‘What have you learned in the last six months?’. A lot of the time people are asking me, ‘How do I know if someone’s a learner?’ And it’s a very simple way to know. “
She explained that the question is a simple but effective way to gauge if someone is a continuous learner. She added that it doesn’t matter if the answer is something as casual as “I learned to bake a cake”—what matters is whether the candidate can answer the question. If they can’t, Sweet believes that shows they’re not interested in learning new things.
What Accenture CEO learned in past 6 months
When asked what she had learned in the last six months, Sweet mentioned that her focus had been mostly on artificial intelligence (AI). She shared that in recent months, AI had been a hot topic in meetings with CEOs. Despite her busy schedule, Sweet revealed that she learned how to bake bread.
Sweet also stressed the growing importance of human resources (HR). She believes HR is one of the best fields to be in right now, as CEOs are increasingly focused on how to train and develop talent in this AI-driven era.
This hiring approach highlights how companies are adjusting their recruitment strategies in response to AI, which is changing job roles across departments. Daniel Shapero, LinkedIn’s COO, also looks for candidates who are comfortable using AI, asking them how they’ve used it in their daily tasks. Shapero believes that candidates who can use AI effectively are more likely to help their organizations become more AI-driven.
