CEO uses job interviews over breakfast to test candidates
Job interviews are always nerve-wracking, no matter how old you get. So you'd think taking one over a nice breakfast would pretty good, right?
More relaxing to take a grilling over your CV while croissants and jam are on standby, you might think.
Well, that might not quite be the case, as one CEO says he uses the breakfast table as the perfect opportunity to put potential employees to the test.
That's right, the CEO of Charles Schwab, Walt Bettinger, conspires with the restaurant to keep his interviewees on their toes.
Advert
Bettinger, who has been the big boss at the financial services company since 2008, asks the restaurant to mess up the orders of his guest.
Why? To test their character and see how they handle adversity.
Admittedly, it can be annoying when your order gets messed up, but you'd think most people would be polite about it and not kick up a fuss.
Talking to The New York Times, Bettinger said: "Are they upset, are they frustrated, or are they understanding? Life is like that, and business is like that.
"It's just another way to look inside their heart rather than their head."
A good way to weed out the bad apples, I guess.
This tactic is part of his wider approach to recruitment, as he wants to understand the 'heart' of the people he's bringing on board his team.
He explained: "What I'm looking for is whether their view of the world really revolves around others, or whether it revolves around them.
"And I'll ask then about their greatest failures in their life and see whether they own them or whether they were somebody else's fault."
Even though he's making the big bucks now, it's not always been smooth sailing for Bettinger.
In the same interview, he admitted that one of his college exams soured his overall performance.
Bettinger, who had spent hours memorising formulas for calculations, felt he was prepared to take his exam.
However, when he showed up, he found a blank sheet of paper in front of him.
Bettinger recalled: "The professor said, "I've taught you everything I can teach you about business in the last 10 weeks.'
"But the most important message, the most important question, is this: 'What's the name of the lady who cleans this building?'"
Due to this, Bettinger failed the exam and got a B overall for the class.
But he still saw it as a learning moment: "'That had a powerful impact.
"Her name was Dottie, and I didn't know Dottie. I'd seen her, but I'd never taken the time to ask her name.
"I've tried to know every Dottie I've worked with ever since. It was a great reminder of what really matters in life."
Ben Thompson