Bill Gates reveals how to answer the dreaded salary question in a way that impresses employers

Bill Gates was answering typical questions for freshers who are just entering the workforce, in a mock interview.

PUBLISHED 8 HOURS AGO

Bill Gates speaking onstage for a special conversation during "What’s Next? The Future With Bill Gates" (Cover image source: Getty Images| Roy Rochlin)

Apart from the required skillset and experience, landing a job also depends a lot on cracking interviews where questions are aimed at gauging a person's presence of mind and problem-solving skills. But there's also a standard set of questions every interviewer asks, and one of them involves salary expectations. As he turned Microsoft into a tech giant, Bill Gates spotted and hired some of the top talent in the industry. Now, he has revealed the perfect answer that a candidate can come up with when asked about their salary expectations.

The tech mogul turned philanthropist appeared in an interview with Steph Curry for his series, 'State of Inspiration,' where Steph Curry asked him to answer some interview questions for young graduates.

Curry mentioned a list of the 10 most Googled interview questions, including "Why should we hire you?" and "What are your salary expectations?" The last question that Curry put forth was about salary expectations. He asked, "We want to value the talent we have on the team and want to make sure that they are appreciated, so what would be your salary expectations for the job, something you would be comfortable with?" In response to this, Gates said, "I hope the option package is good. I can take risks, and I think the company has a great future." He added that he would prefer "stock options more than cash compensation." He concluded his answer by saying, "I hear some other companies are paying a lot, but treat me fairly and emphasize the options."

A comment engaging with Bill Gates interview answers (Image Source: Youtube) — A user commenting on Gates' answer on salary expectations (Image Source: Youtube)

At the end of the segment, Steph Curry said, "I liked the little leverage play there, nice." Netizens also took to the comments section to express their thoughts, and a user @sor3999 wrote, "The mock interview was very insightful. I consider myself a good interviewee, but damn, Bill's answers killed it. Considering he probably has never needed to interview for a job ever since he started Microsoft, he was probably giving answers he did when he was in high school doing freelance work". Another user added, "I think that it was a really smart thing to provide a Sample Job Interview for others like myself to learn from and to copy. Very impressive articulation of ideas and points of view from both sides. Great interview!!!". One hilarious comment read, "He is trying to help us sell ourselves in a job interview. I'm an essential worker for now, but I'm seeing essential workers getting furloughed. So, I'm taking notes! ️Can't hurt!"

A comment prasing Bill Gates mock interview segment. (Image Source: Youtube) — A comment praising Bill Gates's mock interview segment. (Image Source: Youtube)

In another interview, Gates commented on "how he builds successful teams for Microsoft?" The tech tycoon answered, "You know, I have always built teams that have the skills that I am not bringing to the picture," highlighting how his curious nature has played a major role in his success.