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Boss Uses Coffee Test In Every Interview And Won't Employ Those Who Fail

Boss Uses Coffee Test In Every Interview And Won't Employ Those Who Fail

Trent Innes blacklists anyone from working at his company if they fail the test

Rebecca Shepherd

Rebecca Shepherd

Employers have different requirements when it comes to what they're looking for in potential workers, whether it comes down to enthusiasm and passion, an ability to work as a team player, or even good old-fashioned manners.

Tech boss Trent Innes is someone who favours the latter - so much so that he actually puts candidates through a very specific test.

The boss says his test tells you a lot about an applicant.
Twitter

Trent, the managing director of Xero Australia, believes in his assessment so much that he actually blacklists anyone who fails.

Speaking to business podcast The Ventures, he said: "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.

"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?

"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'."

PA

According to the boss, it's all about the 'culture' of a workplace and he says his tactic seems to do the trick as the office kitchen is always tidy.

He goes on: "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."

PA

Another good rule of thumbs for interviews is just to generally not act like a d***. Some people can behave rudely towards those they don't think hold any authority - for example, the receptionist.

But one person took to Reddit to talk about how an interviewee learned that lesson the hard way.

On the 'Life Pro Tips' forum, the person wrote: "Today, a candidate blew his interview in the first five minutes after he entered the building.

"He was dismissive to the receptionist. She greeted him and he barely made eye contact. She tried to engage him in conversation. Again, no eye contact, no interest in speaking with her.

"What the candidate did not realise was that the 'receptionist' was actually the hiring manager. She called him back to the conference room and explained how every single person on our team is valuable and worthy of respect.

"Due to his interaction with the 'receptionist', the hiring manager did not feel he was a good fit. Thank you for your time but the interview is over.

"Be nice to everyone in the building."

Featured Image Credit: PA

Topics: Interesting, Community