Who is the smartest person that you know and why do you consider them smart?
In an attempt to get to know your personal side a bit better and see the type of person they'd be hiring at Google, your interviewer is asking this question. You can have fun with this question and choose a family member, friend, mentor, author, or celebrity. Just be sure that you can back your answer and prove why you consider that person to be the smartest. If you can relate your response to an influencer in your industry, that's the best way to approach this question. A great way to keep this conversation going would be to ask the interviewer the same matter in the end.
"To me, the smartest person I know of is the author Brene Brown. She has such unique concepts, and I have never seen anyone be able to dissect and analyze statistics quite like her. She's brilliant and I truly enjoy listening to and reading her work. Who do you feel is the smartest person you know?"
"The smartest person I have ever met in my life is my grandfather. From a very young age, he instilled in me a work ethic and knowledge that spanned from the end of the World War II era all the through to today. His knowledge he brought to me spanned both his life and career. From starting as a small business owner to growing his business to a multi-state and location entity by the time he retired and then passing the business along to my dad and his sister. A couple of things that I still bring with me to this day are the importance of relationships in any type of business and that taking risks on the job is what leads to growth."
Community answers are written by other candidates practicing this set. Reading how others frame the same question is one of the fastest ways to sharpen your own.
Anonymous Answer
"There are so many people to choose from, but I would say my previous mentor at my last job. He was the CMO. At the time, I did not realize how much he helped and guided me in my career. He had so much experience with managing people and he helped impart some of that knowledge to me. He showed me what a good leader looks like, and how important it is to be emotionally intelligent in the workplace. He was able to play to people's strengths and push them to do better. Looking back at his leadership style while also reading tons of books about management, change, etc., I now realize how intelligent he was. He is the type of leader I strive to be.
Rachelle's Feedback
It's wonderful that he was such a strong influence on you, even if the realization was after the fact. Nice answer.
Anonymous Answer
"Without a doubt, my daughter. There is nothing that she hasn't been able to pick up and learn almost without effort. She is thoughtful, insightful, very well-read, and can debate you and win on a ridiculous number of subjects. When she gets a little older, I will be sure to bring her on board!"
Rachelle's Feedback
Nice! It sounds like the apple doesn't fall far from the tree :)
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