17 quirky interview questions these CEOs and execs always make sure to ask job candidates

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Top executives don't always have the time to interview every job candidate.

But when they do, they want to make sure they ask the right questions.

What's a good interview question?

There's no textbook play here, but according to these CEOs and executives, it doesn't always have to be smart and formal.

Here's a list of some of the most unusual interview questions they like to ask:

Lars Dalgaard, Venture capitalist at Andreessen Horowitz and former CEO of SuccessFactors

Question: "What did you learn from your mom?"

Why: Dalgaard says it's an "incredibly powerful" question that could give a much better clue about the person's emotions. "Basically I'm testing them to see, 'How human are you ready to be with me?'" he told the Times.

Stewart Butterfield, CEO of work messaging app Slack

Question: "What century was the French Revolution in?"

Why: Although Butterfield doesn't ask this question any longer, he says the goal was to see if the candidate's curious about the world. Now, he always asks what they want to be when they grow up instead.

César Melgoza, founder and CEO of business intelligence firm Geoscape

Question: "What magazines and books have you read recently? What do you do in your spare time?" 

Why: Melgoza says these questions help give him a sense of what motivates his interviewees. "The question it answers for me is, 'Are you investing in yourself?'" he said.