‘I Have One Final Question to Ask You …’

Matthew shifted in his seat and leaned in intently as I said, “Matthew, I have one final question to ask you in this interview and it is this: ‘Why would I want my three children to work for you?’” Finding that question surprising, Matthew pressed back in his chair and thoughtfully glanced away. I continued, “Because if I would not want my three children to work for you, why would I expect anyone else to want their children to work for you?” For more than two decades, whenever I conducted final interviews for restaurant franchisees, I pondered that question. My former boss, who had previously lead the franchisee selection process, taught me that answers to this question would indeed be revealing. In an industry predominately staffed with teens and young adults, it is a question worthy of consideration. There are five answers I hoped to hear in response:

You would want your children to work for me because I am a person of integrity. I do what I say I will do when I say I…