Throughout my career I’ve had to hire folks (in fact, I’m hiring three right now!). I have a few favorite, “go to” interview questions I like. My favorite question is met with one of two possible reactions.

Reaction one is puzzlement. You know, when the person across the table begins to sweat and looks at you as if you have four heads and flames shooting out of your eyeballs. In a way, I like this reaction because it sends a very clear message – “do not hire me.”

The second reaction I love. This reaction manifests as a slow nod with a slight grin.

That’s because the best job candidates understand its meaning right away, and those who will have a hard time in an agency environment feel uncomfortable.

The question is rather simple: “What is your information diet?”

Put another way, what information do you consume every day that nourishes your hunger to succeed, that makes you better at your job, and helps you hone your craft?

The best job candidates use this question as a platform to discuss the marketing and communications publications they read or videos they watch that make them better at their job. It’s a great way to discover a job candidate’s passion – and if their passion is authentic or a red herring.

I consume a lot of information in a given day. I start with my morning newspapers, then I shift to various online publications and enewsletters, and at night I listen to podcasts after the house is quiet.

One of my favorites is Social Pros Podcast with Jay Baer. His latest highlights an interesting fact worth contemplating this week. Here’s a direct quote from Jay when discussing a finding in his latest book, Hug Your Haters:

“There’s a very fascinating correlation between use of Facebook and use of Twitter and frequency of complaint. The more you are on Facebook and the more you are on Twitter, the more likely you are to complain at high levels of frequency.”

For me, two thoughts come to mind when hearing that people who are on social channels a lot are the top complainers.

One, I better make sure I’m monitoring my Facebook page for my business. If someone complains, I want to address it right away.

Two, if I don’t have a Facebook page, I better create one – it’s a great way to capture customer feedback… even if it’s negative. Or, especially if it’s negative. A Facebook page is a great way to capture my customer’s true feelings and hear honest feedback, even if it’s tough to hear.

I’d love to hear from you on two questions this week. One, how are you creating a positive customer service experience using Facebook?

Two, what’s your information diet?