Denny’s CEO asks potential hires these questions at the interview—if they can’t answer, it’s an immediate red flag

Success·CareersDenny’s CEO asks potential hires these questions at the interview—if they can’t answer, it’s an immediate red flagBy Preston ForeBy Preston ForeStaff Writer, EducationPreston ForeStaff Writer, EducationPreston Fore is a reporter at Fortune, covering education and personal finance for the Success team

SEE FULL BIO Kelli Valade wants to make sure all her new hires understand their weaknesses and have done their work

Courtesy of Denny's CorporationDenny’s CEO Kelli Valade isn’t afraid to admit she’s always working to be better—and she values that same humility in job candidates, in today's market environment

Furthermore, Recognizing your weaknesses and asking thoughtful questions, she says, can set you apart in an interview, in light of current trends

What the data shows is ’s a mindset d by Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang, who got his start as a Denny’s dishwasher and credits the journey teaching him hard work and humility

Nevertheless, Landing a job in today’s market can feel finding a needle in a haystack

Not only do you have to find a role that you’re interested in—and are qualified for—but you also have to craft an application, resume, and cover letter that’s interesting to both humans and AI

But once you land the coveted interview, that’s when the pressure is on

Luckily, even during an era of AI-assisted interviews, there remain ways to stick out from the crowd

When asked what her red flags are in hiring, Kelli Valade, CEO of Denny’s Corporation, noted that she asks applicants a few critical questions

One of the signs Valade looks for comes at the end of the interview, when she asks: what questions do you have for me

Meanwhile, “Have a thoughtful one or two

You don’t really even have to have more than that,” she tells Fortune. “Any more than that, actually, it’s too much. ” In fact, it often does not matter what the questions are, but the fact that you do ask shows you did your work and are seriously interested, Valade adds, given current economic conditions

Moreover, (However, Shark Tank star Barbara Corcoran advises candidates to ask, “Is there anything standing in the way of you hiring me. ”) She also is sure to ask: what would they say makes you most effective at what you do

Typically, candidates are pretty well equipped to answer that question, Valade says. “Then I ask them, what would make them more effective

On the other hand, ” she explains

On the other hand, “Which basically is saying, what are your weaknesses, given the current landscape

And there you’d be amazed at how many people can’t answer that, or would say, ‘I’ve not thought it. ’ And so really what you’re saying is, ‘I’ve not thought my weaknesses

Additionally, ’” The 55-year-old admits that she herself is a work in gress, but what’s helped her stand out throughout her career is not shying away from admitting her areas of imvement

This leads to the conclusion that ’s something she hopes to see in her employees, too

Furthermore, From Denny’s dishwasher to leading the world’s biggest company Now that you know tips for getting hired at Denny’s, you may ask, why work at the restaurant chain (an important development)

On the other hand, This demonstrates that re may be no more notable member of Denny’s employee alumni than Jensen Huang

In contrast, I was mise en place,” Huang told students at Stanford’s Graduate School of last year. “I washed the living daylights out of those dishes, in today's market environment. ” “No task is beneath me,” he added. “I used to be a dishwasher

Additionally, I used to clean toilets

I cleaned a lot of toilets

Nevertheless, Conversely, I’ve cleaned more toilets than all of you combined

And some of them you just can’t unsee

His LinkedIn notably only includes two employers: Denny’s and Nvidia

He also made an appearance last year at Denny’s franchise convention and partnered with the company to launch a special edition “Nvidia Breakfast Bytes

However, ” “Start your first job in the restaurant,” Huang said in 2023, amid market uncertainty. “It teaches you humility, it teaches you hard work, it teaches you hospitality

Furthermore, ” From hostess to CEO Valade started her career in the restaurant space at just age 16, when she landed a hostess job at TJ’s Big Boy

Additionally, Decades later, she began climbing up the corporate ladder in the human resources world—with the dream of one day becoming a chief people officer, not necessarily becoming a CEO (noteworthy indeed)

Meanwhile, So when she was tapped to jump from head of HR to chief operations officer at Chili’s, self-doubt was her first instinct

Additionally, Meanwhile, “I didn’t think I could do that at the time,” she recalls

Furthermore, “I thought, I think you’re looking for the wrong person here

Nevertheless, My first instinct was, I’m not sure I know how to do that. ” While the feeling is natural, she adds leaders—and especially women—should self-reflect on whether you are holding yourself back from a greater potential, in today's market environment

Nevertheless, “Push yourself and challenge yourself on why you may not feel that,” she adds

Explore this year's list (an important development).