• Home
  • Latest
  • Fortune 500
  • Finance
  • Tech
  • Leadership
  • Lifestyle
  • Rankings
  • Multimedia

Trendingnow

1

Bolt CEO says he let go of his entire HR team for creating problems that didn’t exist: ‘Those problems disappeared when I let them go’ 

2

Despite a $500 million net worth, Shaq just finished his fourth degree. He warns graduates: 'Your character will take you further than your resume'

3

Meet a 21-year-old community college student who's going to China as the first American woman welder in the trades Olympics

1

Bolt CEO says he let go of his entire HR team for creating problems that didn’t exist: ‘Those problems disappeared when I let them go’ 

2

Despite a $500 million net worth, Shaq just finished his fourth degree. He warns graduates: 'Your character will take you further than your resume'

3

Meet a 21-year-old community college student who's going to China as the first American woman welder in the trades Olympics
SuccessThe Interview Playbook

United Airlines CEO judges candidates by whether pilots would want to go on a four-day trip with them: ‘If you say no, then they’re out’

Emma Burleigh
By
Emma Burleigh
Emma Burleigh
Reporter, Success
Down Arrow Button Icon
Emma Burleigh
By
Emma Burleigh
Emma Burleigh
Reporter, Success
Down Arrow Button Icon
April 10, 2026, 11:14 AM ET
United Airlines CEO Scott Kirby
Scott Kirby, the CEO of $31.7 billion company United Airlines, said he looks to hire employees who others would “want to hang out with.”PATRICK T. FALLON / Contributor / Getty Images

CEOs who have climbed to the top of their industries have an eagle eye for talent who drive success—and many have developed their own tricks to find the right hires. In finding the right workers to steer the business to success, United Airlines CEO Scott Kirby has implemented an unusual test to find the right match. 

Recommended Video

“I asked our head of flight operations to select a dozen of our pilots who were well-liked by everyone,” Kirby said in a recent interview with McKinsey and Company. The leader of the $31.7 billion airline giant explained that after being selected for an interview, part of whether or not they move forward depends on if they’d be good company. 

“I told this group of pilots, ‘Your job is just to assess: Is this interviewee someone I would like to take a four-day trip with? And if you say no, then they’re out. You get a veto vote,’” the CEO continued. 

“The idea is to pick people who care about others, who you want to hang out with, who you want to be with.”

The competition is fierce for jobs at United Airlines

The hiring hack is just one layer of the competitive process to land a job at United Airlines; a spokesperson tells Fortune that it’s part of the larger process of hiring pilots, aside from the standards set by the business and the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA). 

And this vibe test could serve as one way to separate the best talent from the rest of the pack. 

Kirby said that whenever they open flight attendant hiring for around 3,000 positions, the company receives 75,000 eager applicants within a matter of hours—hovering around a 4% acceptance rate. 

He also reasoned that the business is “one of the few places left” where workers without a college diploma can work in a multitude of roles—from flight attendants and tech ops, to ramp and gate agents—and can still earn six-figure incomes. 

“So for us, the question is: How do you find people who have the right mentality and customer service attitude?” Kirby said. “We can train them to do the jobs, but how do you build a process to pick the right people and keep them excited?”

The CEOs have their own interview tests—from the car commute to the dinner table

Duolingo CEO Luis von Ahn doesn’t even wait until a candidate arrives to start his assessment. The moment a job contender gets into the car, the hiring process is already underway; Ahn says how a candidate treats their driver on the ride to the office plays a part in whether they get the role. And he’ll even slip the taxi drivers some extra money to weigh in on if they’re worth hiring. 

The billionaire cofounder recounted a time when Duolingo had been on the hunt for a chief financial officer for a year. Ahn really liked one candidate who had an impressive résumé, but he turned down the applicant after learning they were “pretty mean” to their driver from the airport to the office. Similar to Kirby, Ahn believes personality can make or break a hiring decision. 

“Our belief is if they’re going to be mean to the driver, they’re probably going to be mean to other people, particularly people under them,” Ahn said on The Burnouts podcast earlier this year. 

Twilio CEO Khozema Shipchandler may put the company’s senior job candidates through multiple rounds of interviews, but their success could hinge on one single question. After having a 45 minute dinner with the interviewees, the leader of the cloud communications company will pose a question back: “Do you have any questions for me?” If they pass on the opportunity or offer a blank stare, their odds of landing the gig drops instantly. 

“The number one red flag for me is when someone doesn’t ask questions towards the end of an interview,” Shipchandler told Fortune last year. “I think that’s a pretty significant mark against them being curious about what they’re interviewing, the company, the way we might work together, chemistry, culture, all of those things. That’s a pretty big red flag.”

Former Indeed CEO Chris Hyams has also stuck behind one pivotal interview question in assessing more than 3,000 candidates over the past 15 years. Instead of testing their personality, he had tried to gauge their decision-making skills through their responses. 

“It might seem strange, but I ask everyone, ‘Do you have an iPhone or an Android, and why?’” Hyams told Fortune last year. There is no “wrong answer,” but the leader uses it as an icebreaker that opens up conversation on their passions and product sensibilities, also engaging their reasoning skills. 

“And it’s actually a long 15-minute series of back-and-forth on this, where I get to learn a little bit about the human being, and about how they make decisions,” Hyams continued.

At the Fortune Workplace Innovation Summit, Fortune 500 leaders will convene to explore the defining questions shaping the workforce of the future—delivering bold ideas, powerful connections, and actionable insights for building resilient organizations for the decade ahead. Join Fortune May 19–20 in Atlanta. Register now.
About the Author
Emma Burleigh
By Emma BurleighReporter, Success

Emma Burleigh is a reporter at Fortune, covering success, careers, entrepreneurship, and personal finance. Before joining the Success desk, she co-authored Fortune’s CHRO Daily newsletter, extensively covering the workplace and the future of jobs. Emma has also written for publications including the Observer and The China Project, publishing long-form stories on culture, entertainment, and geopolitics. She has a joint-master’s degree from New York University in Global Journalism and East Asian Studies.

See full bioRight Arrow Button Icon

Latest in Success

Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025

Most Popular

Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Fortune Secondary Logo
Rankings
  • 100 Best Companies
  • Fortune 500
  • Global 500
  • Fortune 500 Europe
  • Most Powerful Women
  • World's Most Admired Companies
  • See All Rankings
  • Lists Calendar
Sections
  • Finance
  • Fortune Crypto
  • Features
  • Leadership
  • Health
  • Commentary
  • Success
  • Retail
  • Mpw
  • Tech
  • Lifestyle
  • CEO Initiative
  • Asia
  • Politics
  • Conferences
  • Europe
  • Newsletters
  • Personal Finance
  • Environment
  • Magazine
  • Education
Customer Support
  • Frequently Asked Questions
  • Customer Service Portal
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms Of Use
  • Single Issues For Purchase
  • International Print
Commercial Services
  • Advertising
  • Fortune Brand Studio
  • Fortune Analytics
  • Fortune Conferences
  • Business Development
  • Group Subscriptions
About Us
  • About Us
  • Press Center
  • Work At Fortune
  • Terms And Conditions
  • Site Map
  • About Us
  • Press Center
  • Work At Fortune
  • Terms And Conditions
  • Site Map
  • Facebook icon
  • Twitter icon
  • LinkedIn icon
  • Instagram icon
  • Pinterest icon

Latest in Success

Ex-Facebook exec Sheryl Sandberg tells Gen Z the 10-year career plan is dead thanks to AI:  ‘Don’t script your career when the future is uncertain’
Successcareer
Ex-Facebook exec Sheryl Sandberg tells Gen Z the 10-year career plan is dead thanks to AI:  ‘Don’t script your career when the future is uncertain’
By Orianna Rosa RoyleMay 21, 2026
7 hours ago
elon
SuccessIPOs
SpaceX IPO targets $28.5 trillion total addressable market, mission to ‘make life multiplanetary’ and understand ‘true nature of the universe’
By Nick LichtenbergMay 20, 2026
16 hours ago
Elon Musk sits with his fists together, looking up.
Commentaryspace
SpaceX will be worth trillions, but the space station that made it possible is worth even more — if we don’t squander it
By Tejpaul BhatiaMay 20, 2026
16 hours ago
Professor Jeff DeGraff.
SuccessWorkplace Innovation Summit
‘We’ve given them the short end of the stick’: Business school dean says AI could eliminate many jobs for young people—even as they lead innovation
By Preston ForeMay 20, 2026
18 hours ago
Arvind Jain, Founder and CEO, Glean
SuccessWorkplace Innovation Summit
While other tech CEOs warn of mass job losses, Glean’s chief says AI will never replace a single worker
By Emma BurleighMay 20, 2026
19 hours ago
Shaquille O'Neal
SuccessEducation
Despite a $500 million net worth, Shaq just finished his fourth degree. He warns graduates: ‘Your character will take you further than your resume’
By Preston ForeMay 20, 2026
23 hours ago

Most Popular

Bolt CEO says he let go of his entire HR team for creating problems that didn’t exist: ‘Those problems disappeared when I let them go’ 
Workplace Culture
Bolt CEO says he let go of his entire HR team for creating problems that didn’t exist: ‘Those problems disappeared when I let them go’ 
By Preston ForeMay 19, 2026
2 days ago
Despite a $500 million net worth, Shaq just finished his fourth degree. He warns graduates: 'Your character will take you further than your resume'
Success
Despite a $500 million net worth, Shaq just finished his fourth degree. He warns graduates: 'Your character will take you further than your resume'
By Preston ForeMay 20, 2026
23 hours ago
Meet a 21-year-old community college student who's going to China as the first American woman welder in the trades Olympics
Future of Work
Meet a 21-year-old community college student who's going to China as the first American woman welder in the trades Olympics
By Mike Householder and The Associated PressMay 17, 2026
4 days ago
Dr. Bernice King on why companies that walked back DEI were never truly committed: 'If you retreat that quick…that reveals who you really are'
Workplace Culture
Dr. Bernice King on why companies that walked back DEI were never truly committed: 'If you retreat that quick…that reveals who you really are'
By Preston ForeMay 19, 2026
2 days ago
Current price of oil as of May 20, 2026
Personal Finance
Current price of oil as of May 20, 2026
By Joseph HostetlerMay 20, 2026
1 day ago
Pay transparency is exposing a bigger problem: Most companies can't explain why they pay what they pay
Workplace Culture
Pay transparency is exposing a bigger problem: Most companies can't explain why they pay what they pay
By Sydney LakeMay 20, 2026
18 hours ago

© 2026 Fortune Media IP Limited. All Rights Reserved. Use of this site constitutes acceptance of our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy | CA Notice at Collection and Privacy Notice | Do Not Sell/Share My Personal Information
FORTUNE is a trademark of Fortune Media IP Limited, registered in the U.S. and other countries. FORTUNE may receive compensation for some links to products and services on this website. Offers may be subject to change without notice.