On January 15, 2009, Captain C.B. Sullenberger made an incredible emergency crash landing of a 50 ton passenger plane in the Hudson River, saving the lives of all on board. If you were hiring pilots, could you have predicted he had the skills to accomplish such a feat? Or anyone else?

Typical hiring practices are structured to include assessments and standard interview questions such as "what are your strengths and weaknesses?" "what were your greatest accomplishments at your last job?" Some questions include scenario questions which ask the candidate to indicate how they would act in specific circumstances.  Do these measures predict accurately performance? Malcolm Gladwell, author of his recent book, Most Likely To Succeed,would argue that the only thing that predicts success is actual success on the job.

Peter Bregman, writing in the Harvard Business Review bulletin, argues there is an easier way for recruiters to find a CaptainSullenberger, or people like him. The clue to the key interview question lies earlier in life.

When other teens were getting their drivers' licenses, Sullenberger was getting his pilot license, gliding planes for fun. Much later,he glided the jet plane into the Hudson River to safety. Sullenberger had an obsession with everything to do about flying from an early age, and devoted himself to this passion.

You might argue that not all jobs are as skill specific as a pilot's. But the point is, regardless of the job, you can tell a lot about the kind of candidate you have by asking the question--"what do you do in your spare time?" or "what are your extracurricular interests?" Both the content of the response, and the emotion or passion that they show in giving the response will be a key to finding a quality hire.