For those curious about how Jeff Bezos, the Amazon billionaire, conducts interviews, he has provided insights into his methodology.
Companies utilize various techniques during job interviews to find the ideal candidate for a position.
Some employers implement the ‘Coffee Cup Test,’ which involves offering the interviewee a drink and observing if they return their cup to the kitchen and clean it afterward.
If the cup is left in the sink, especially if it’s not returned to the kitchen at all, it could spell trouble.
Bezos, however, employs a unique strategy to gauge if someone is suitable for the job.
In reality, if Jeff Bezos is personally conducting your interview, it likely isn’t for a position in an Amazon warehouse.
In 2012, Bezos revealed the criteria he uses when interviewing potential hires, and this has recently gained attention online.
So, what key quality does this former world’s wealthiest individual seek in a prospective employee?
Creativity.
“When I interview people, I ask them to give me an example of something they’ve invented,” Bezos said over ten years ago.
He clarified that it doesn’t need to be a patented invention, but something that serves a purpose.
This isn’t just about thinking outside the box; it’s about ‘inventing your way out of a box’.
“You want to select people who like to invent their way out of boxes and don’t necessarily immediately go to either/or – ‘we can do A or B’,” said Bezos.
He pointed out that it’s not about providing a correct answer, but about posing the right question.
“The right question is, ‘How can we do A and B? What invention do we need to be able to do both?’ So that’s a lot about selection,” he explained.
Bezos has also emphasized the importance of failure in achieving success.
“To invent, you have to experiment,” he stated. “And if you know in advance that it’s going to work, it’s not an experiment.”
In a 2015 letter to shareholders, Bezos added: “One area where I think we are especially distinctive is failure. I believe we are the best place in the world to fail (we have plenty of practice!), and failure and invention are inseparable twins.”