🕹 The Default Game
Most people walk into an interview, networking chat, or pitch thinking they’re graded on answers:
Do I sound competent?
Did I hit the right buzzwords?
Am I selling myself enough?
But that’s the wrong game. The fastest way to stand out is to flip the script and ask questions that show how you think.
👉 Fun fact: people who asked follow-ups were rated twice as likable as those who didn’t (Forbes).
🔑 Why Questions Win
Good questions aren’t filler — they’re signals. They show vision, shift the power dynamic, and build trust. Nobody remembers the polished answer. Everyone remembers the person who made them think.
And in 2025, that signal matters: 92% of hiring managers say soft skills like curiosity matter as much — or more — than technical ability (Compunnel, 2025).
💡 Example Upgrades
Networking Chat
❌ “So, what do you do?”
✅ “What’s the problem in your work nobody’s cracked yet?”
Interview
❌ “What does success look like in this role?”
✅ “Six months in, what would make you say hiring me was a brilliant decision?”
Candidates who ask future-focused questions are 60% more likely to be seen as “high potential” (Inc., 2018).
Freelance Pitch
❌ “Do you need help with design?”
✅ “What’s the bottleneck that, if unblocked, unlocks the most momentum?”
👉 Bonus: In 2025, GenAI-heavy roles started demanding 36% more brainpower and a 5% bump in social savvy compared to pre-ChatGPT jobs (arXiv, 2025). Translation: the better your questions, the better you fit the future.
🎯 How to Play This Week
Write three questions only you would ask. Start with what frustrates you, excites you, or what you’d change.
Drop one in your next conversation. Doesn’t matter if it’s a coffee chat, a pitch, or an interview.
Watch what happens. The right question flips the vibe from “evaluator vs. candidate” to “co-conspirators solving a problem.”
❓ Culture Corner: Question Marks
📚 Read: “The Science of Curiosity” (Ness Labs) — Proof that your inner 5-year-old asking 107 questions an hour might be onto something.
🎧 Listen: The Best Leaders Ask the Right Questions (HBR IdeaCast, 2025) — A 20-minute masterclass on turning curiosity into a leadership flex.
📺 Watch: How to Lead with Powerful Questions (2024) — Five benefits, ten examples, and a reminder that sharp questions beat sharp suits.
🛠 Tool: Google’s Interview Warmup — Your judgment-free zone to rehearse questions until they stop sounding rehearsed.
🛍️ Crew Picks: The Funemployed Store
Rep the lifestyle! Grab your favorite Funemployed merch and show off your laid-back spirit. 👉 Check it out!
Keep asking, keep opening doors.
✌️ Until next week,
— The Funemployed Crew ✌️
🤫 Coming Up Next Week
Next week, we delve into the concept of taking small actions now for big results.