A CEO has revealed the one answer to a common interview question that will stop him from hiring you.

When candidates for a new job are asked when they can start, they may assume the sooner the better.

But Gary Shapiro, the chief executive of US trade association Consumer Technology Association (CTA), argues a too short timeframe is a major red flag.

If you answer less than two weeks, it is a big no from Shapiro.

“They don’t get the job, because they’ll treat us the way they treat that former employer,” Shapiro told CNBC this week.

He said he wants employees with “a level of commitment” to their company that will mean “they won’t leave their employer hanging” – even if they don’t like the job.

He said one candidate who went on to be CTA’s chief operating officer had said she needed up to six weeks to finish up with her previous employer and to him that was not a negative.

Shapiro has been the head of CTA for more than three decades.

Boss reveals question he won’t ask employees

Earlier this year, another chief executive went viral online for sharing a common workplace question he doesn’t ask his employees.

Tom Hunt, the CEO of UK-based B2B podcast company Fame, revealed he doesn’t care where his employees work from, or why.

On LinkedIn, he shared a story about a team member who asked him if she could work from another country for six weeks.

“She went on to explain why … I jump in: ‘It’s all good; I don’t need to know why.’ You decide how the work is done,” he wrote.

“Different country each month? All good. Work from the garden? All good. Couple of hours off for a doctor’s appointment? All good. Work from Wetherspoons after dropping the kids off at school? All good.”

Hunt explained that he doesn’t think employees owe their workplaces explanations to why they need flexibility.

Flexible working arrangements, including work from home, is currently a hot topic as bosses are increasingly reintroducing in-office days for remote staff.

In a memo issued to staff on September 26, Dell gave employees four days’ notice before they were required to return to the office five days a week, with the change kicking in on September 30.

Similarly, Flight Centre staff have been ordered back to their office or shops five days a week, except when traveling.

A memo shared earlier this month to Australian staff pointed to a video with the Brisbane-based chief people and culture officer, who claimed “a key part of our culture is the ability to form connections together in person”.

It follows similar directives from major companies like Amazon and Tabcorp, along with an announcement from NSW Premier Chris Minns back in August declaring the end of remote working privileges.