Talent Plus is at the top of the list when it comes to recognizing talent, which is why many Fortune 500 corporations hire the consultancy to run part of their recruitment. Its interview is unlike most others: a phone or video call, many questions in quick succession, no time to think, and your spontaneous reactions are what gets scored. It reveals a lot about a person, which is exactly why companies pay for it. The question is whether you can prepare for it at all, or whether you either have it or you don’t. You can prepare, at least to some extent, and this page shows how.
Knowing the kind of questions Talent Plus asks and the principles behind them takes the stress out of the call and lets you show your best side. Some of the questions do have a right answer; many do not, and are there to see whether you stay consistent when the same thing is asked three ways.
How the Talent Plus interview works
The interviewer works from a structured script and does not coach or react. Expect anywhere from thirty to sixty short questions, most of them closed (“Do you like to sell things?”, “Are you an honest person?”), asked one after another with barely a pause. Several will circle back to the same trait, stress, honesty, sociability, work ethic, phrased differently each time. Two things carry you through it: authentic answers you could give the same way at 8am or 8pm, and a positive but realistic tone. Rehearsed perfection reads as false; a candid “no, but here is what I do about it” reads as talent.
Talent Plus interview questions with hints and sample answers
1. Do you consider yourself a hardworking person?
Say you love to work hard, that you would struggle to find purpose and happiness in work unless you knew you were trying. At the same time keep it authentic: you can admit a period when, for one reason or another, you could not give your best.
Sample answer: “I try to deliver my best every day, but like everyone I have low days and moments when motivation dips. Understanding why we do what we do in the company, and what my role is in it, gets me through them. And I do not want to let my colleagues down, which also helps.”
2. On a scale from 1 to 10, how would you rate your ability to work in a team?
Do not give yourself a perfect ten; nobody is a perfect team player. Add how you try to understand other team members and work with them. Attitude matters most.
Sample answer: “An 8. I try to be a good listener and I am friendly with the people on my team, and I take care of my own duties. But sometimes it is hard to get along with someone or reach consensus, and that is just part of teamwork.”
3. Do you like to sell things?
In nearly every position Talent Plus interviews for, selling plays a role, if not a product then your ideas, to colleagues, bosses, and subordinates. Say you like selling, and that you can always improve.
Sample answer: “I like selling products and ideas I believe in, and I know I can still get better at professional selling. I would never sell something I thought was bad for the customer or unethical, though.”
4. Do you like to work overtime?
An authenticity test. Nobody likes overtime, so do not say you do. Say you can push hard and stay longer when the situation requires it; show you will step outside your comfort zone for the company.
Sample answer: “I do not like working overtime, but I understand that sometimes we need to do something extra for the employer or for colleagues, and I am ready to do that from time to time.”
5. Do you prefer to work alone in an office or in an open office environment?
Most roles Talent Plus screens for are open-office jobs. Say you enjoy a shared workspace, or at least do not mind it, and that you can focus even when it is loud.
Sample answer: “I like a shared workspace. Seeing others working motivates me and it is easier to talk to the team. But I am good at shutting out distractions when I need to concentrate, so it does not matter much to me either way.”
More questions from the Talent Plus script to practice
The five above are the easy ones because you saw the hints. Try these cold, out loud, one after another with no pause; that is what the call feels like. Notice how many ask about the same trait from a different angle, and make sure your answers agree with each other.
- Why did you leave your last job?
- What do you consider your greatest weakness?
- Are you an honest person?
- What was the last thing you sold?
- Do you like to work under pressure?
- Do you have a tendency to feel stress at work?
- What did you not like about your last job?
- When was the last time you felt stressed at work?
- Do you think you are an organized person?
- When was the last time you came late to work? Why?
- If there was one thing you could improve about yourself, what would it be?
- What is your opinion of the current economic climate?
- Do you like to talk to people? Is there any group of people you prefer to talk to?
- Do you often have conflicts with your colleagues?
- Do you like to socialize?
- Do you prefer to lead, or to be led?
- Do you consider yourself an assertive person?
- How would you handle communication with a drunk customer?
- What would you do if sales were down?
- Do you consider yourself a creative person?
- What would you do if you struggled with motivation at work?
Two habits help across all of them. First, answer the closed question first (“Yes.” / “Not really.”) and then add one sentence of evidence; long preambles run out the clock. Second, keep a short list of three or four true stories from your work, a stressful week, a sale, a conflict resolved, a time you were late, and draw on them, so the answers stay consistent no matter how the question is rephrased.
Frequently asked questions
What is a Talent Plus interview?
A structured phone or video screening run by the consultancy Talent Plus on behalf of an employer, usually before you meet the company itself. It consists of many short questions asked in quick succession, scored on your spontaneous answers, and it is designed to identify natural talent for the role rather than test knowledge.
How long does the Talent Plus interview take?
Typically 30 to 60 minutes on the phone or by video, though the pace makes it feel shorter. Questions come one after another with little time to think.
Can you prepare for a Talent Plus interview?
Yes, to a useful extent. You cannot rehearse exact answers, but you can know the types of questions, prepare a handful of true stories to draw on, and practice answering quickly and consistently, which removes most of the stress on the day.
Can you fail the Talent Plus interview?
Yes; the employer typically only advances candidates who score well. The most common reason people score poorly is inconsistency, saying one thing when a trait is asked directly and another when it is asked indirectly, so authenticity beats trying to give “perfect” answers.