# Never Leave a Job Interview Without Asking This No. 1 Question — It ‘Cuts Through the BS.’

1 Opinion July 1, 2025 CNBC ![suzy welch headshot](/sites/default/files/styles/246w/public/2023-12/sw5936.jpg?itok=gHtcPLCO)By Suzy Welch

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Do you want a job you love, at a company you love, with values you love? Of course you do. That’s the dream for just about everyone. And frankly, companies want the same thing. When employee values align with company values, you get engagement and retention. It’s a win-win.

A desire for this “glove-like” fit is why so many MBA students enroll in my class at NYU Stern School of Business. It’s called “Becoming You,” and its goal is to help graduates find a job aligned with their purpose. But here’s the problem — and it’s a big one: Most people know their aptitudes and interests. But their values? Not so much.

My research shows that only about 7% of adults know their values with real clarity. And worse, most don’t know how to identify a company’s real values, either. Not the ones in the brochure. The real ones.

Read the full [***CNBC*** **article**](https://www.cnbc.com/2025/07/01/ceo-the-no-1-question-that-cuts-through-the-bs-at-job-interviews-people-who-ask-it-are-stunned.html).
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*Suzy Welch is Professor of Management Practice at NYU Stern.*

## More from Suzy Welch

- [For Americans, Family Comes First—or Does It?](https://www.stern.nyu.edu/experience-stern/faculty-research/americans-family-comes-first-or-does-it)
- [They Love Self-Care, Hate Hustle, and Need a Job — a CEO’s Advice for an ‘Unemployable’ Gen Zer.](https://www.stern.nyu.edu/experience-stern/faculty-research/they-love-self-care-hate-hustle-and-need-job-ceos-advice-unemployable-gen-zer)
- [Is Gen Z Unemployable?](https://www.stern.nyu.edu/experience-stern/faculty-research/gen-z-unemployable)
- [Never Give These 3 ‘Sudden Death’ Answers at a Job Interview, Says CEO — You’ll ‘Instantly Disqualify Yourself.’](https://www.stern.nyu.edu/experience-stern/faculty-research/never-give-these-3-sudden-death-answers-job-interview-says-ceo-youll-instantly-disqualify-yourself)
- [Success Comes Down to Just 3 Things: Companies ‘Will Be in a Cage Match Over You,’ Says CEO.](https://www.stern.nyu.edu/experience-stern/faculty-research/success-comes-down-just-3-things-companies-will-be-cage-match-over-you-says-ceo)