Denny's Corp. CEO Kelli Valade says she scouts for red flags while hiring potential employees by asking a few key questions and by seeing whether applicants bring one or two thoughtful questions of their own.
What Happened: In a Fortune interview, the restaurant executive said it "often does not matter" what the questions are. What counts is preparation. Ask much more than that, she added, and "it's too much."
Valade also pairs strengths with self‑awareness. She asks what makes candidates most effective and then what would make them more effective, which is a prompt aimed at weaknesses.
“You'd be amazed at how many people can't answer that, or would say, ';I've not thought about it.' And so really what you're saying is, ';I've not thought about my weaknesses.'” She adds that she considers herself a “work in progress” too.
One moment that she keenly awaits arrives toward the end of the interview. "What questions do you have for me?" She expects a couple that show homework. She said the specifics matter less than intent and judgment.
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Why It Matters: Her lens diverges from some high‑profile peers. Barbara Corcoran, the Shark Tank investor, revealed in a TikTok video in 2023 that she tells candidates to end with a direct closer, which is somewhat like, "Is there anything standing in the way of you hiring me?" Valade favors reflection instead.
Elsewhere in corporate America, approaches vary. Amazon founder Jeff Bezos, back in the day, favored an offbeat screen, asking whether someone is a "lucky person." Warren Buffett boils hiring down to three traits: "integrity, intelligence and energy," warning that without the first, the other two will kill you." Each approach reflects different signals leaders prize in face‑to‑face interviews.
There's also a Denny's link to one of the business world's most valuable companies in Nvidia. Nvidia's co-founder and CEO, Jensen Huang, often notes he worked as a Denny's dishwasher as a teenager, an origin story he says taught him hard work.
Photo Courtesy: jejim on Shutterstock.com
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