I recently landed a contract role, so I’m out of the interview cycle for now. Sadly, I know plenty of good people still slogging through the job hunt drudgery. The market is rough right now.

I was fortunate to work with an interview coach a year ago. He suggested two questions to ask the interviewer, and they really improved my interview game.

1. Who should NOT work here?

2. What’s not in the job description, but you secretly hope I have?

Both go after the same thing, which is what nobody puts in writing.

The first question pokes at the Achilles heel. You’re asking them to describe a bad fit, and people are surprisingly candid about it. One hiring manager told me the wrong person was “an introvert who isn’t willing to work with others and only wants to read the documentation for answers.” That told me plenty about how much importance they placed on collaboration and how they work together day to day.

Another company’s answer might have described me exactly. If that ever happens, it’s a sign to walk away.

The second question is the leg up. They just gave you a wish they assumed couldn’t be granted. If you match it, tell that story right then. You’ve answered a requirement your competition doesn’t know exists.

That’s a tie breaker, and you usually need one.

Both questions also changed the room. Interviews run on a script and both sides know it. Ask something off-script and they sit up. They have to actually think. I watched the energy shift in real time. Answers got longer and more honest.

For a few minutes, they’re the ones being interviewed. People remember the conversation that made them think.

If you’re still in the cycle, steal these. They cost nothing and they change how it goes.