{"id":4244,"date":"2026-07-26T07:11:44","date_gmt":"2026-07-26T07:11:44","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/crosscountrymovingteams.com\/?p=4244"},"modified":"2026-07-26T07:11:44","modified_gmt":"2026-07-26T07:11:44","slug":"bridgewater-associates-ex-recruitment-boss-reveals-the-secret-unpopularity-interview-test-he-used-on-hundreds-of-candidates-at-the-hedge-fund","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/crosscountrymovingteams.com\/?p=4244","title":{"rendered":"Bridgewater Associates ex-recruitment boss reveals the secret \u2018unpopularity\u2019 interview test he used on hundreds of candidates at the hedge fund"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Dave Kline, who spent nearly a decade in senior recruitment and C-suite roles at the world\u2019s largest hedge fund, calls it the \u201c(Un)popularity Contest.\u201d And it\u2019s one of five tests he used to separate high performers from everyone else.<\/p>\n

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\u201cHave they walked away from something safe for something risky?\u201d David Kline just wrote on X, adding that is the answer is no they don\u2019t get hired because \u201cthey\u2019ve never actually bet on themselves.\u201d<\/p>\n

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In his eyes, not only does that reveal their level of self-assurance, but also whether someone can drown out the noise and trust their own instincts when everyone around them is telling them they\u2019re wrong. \u201cYou want someone who\u2019s survived feeling alone before,\u201d Kline added.<\/p>\n

So he\u2019d specifically ask hundreds of Bridgewater candidates what they walked away from in search of what he calls \u201cA-players who make sh*t happen.\u201d And now he\u2019s telling other CEOs to do the same as an executive coach.\u00a0<\/p>\n

The other four tests the ex-Bridgewater Associates exec used to weed out low performers\u00a0<\/h2>\n

Kline left Bridgewater Associates in 2020 and later founded his own executive coaching company, MGMT. Now, he\u2019s sharing his career and management advice across social media\u2014and he wrote that \u201cthe harsh truth\u201d is that traditional interviews simply don\u2019t help managers find go-getters.<\/p>\n

\u201cMost interviews are designed to find people who comply,\u201d he said. \u201cThen we wonder why nobody takes initiative.\u201d So his 5 tests are designed to weed out the assertive and resourceful candidates from the rest.<\/p>\n

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