A manager has shared his unique approach to interviewing candidates, explaining why he employs a coffee cup test and his refusal to hire those who don’t pass it.
Job interviews can be nerve-wracking, right?
There are countless factors to consider, from making a strong first impression to asking a key question at the interview’s conclusion.
Adding to the pressure, some organizations use subtle strategies to test applicants during interviews.
While Steve Jobs had a heartfelt method of welcoming new hires, this manager chooses to test potential new team members.
Trent Innes, previously the managing director of Xeno and now the chief growth officer at SiteMinder, described this tactic.
During an appearance on The Ventures podcast, Innes explained: “I will always take you for a walk down to one of our kitchens and somehow you always end up walking away with a drink.”
In this scenario, refusing a drink is not an option, leaving the interviewee with a cup in hand.
He continued: “Then we take that back, have our interview, and one of the things I’m always looking for at the end of the interview is, does the person doing the interview want to take that empty cup back to the kitchen?”
The essence of the test is that failing to return the cup indicates you’re not a good match for the company.
Innes elaborated: “You can develop skills, you can gain knowledge and experience, but it really does come down to attitude, and the attitude that we talk a lot about is the concept of ‘wash your coffee cup’.”
Innes further explained that the test aims to assess how well individuals align with the office’s ‘company culture.’
Returning the cup to the kitchen reflects attentiveness to small tasks and consideration for others.
The manager added: “If you come into the office one day inside Xero, you’ll see the kitchens are almost always clean and sparkling and it’s very much off that concept of wash your coffee cup.
“It’s really just making sure that they’re actually going to fit into the culture inside Xero, and really take on everything that they should be doing.”