'Salt and pepper' test is used by boss in interview to judge candidate's character
Typically, been asked for your ‘greatest strength’ or for a time when you ‘overcame a challenge’ are the things you dread in a job interview.
But in case the list of the run-of-the-mill questions aren’t enough to stress over, there’s also the talks of weird little ‘tests’ and tricks some interviewers like to use.
From the ‘wobbly chair’ to the ‘coffee test’ and of course, Steve Jobs’ infamous ‘beer test’, why do interviews have to be so annoying?
Well, enter another test to worry over: the ‘salt and pepper test’. Yep, one boss apparently used this in an interview to get a judge of their candidate’s character.
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Apparently, this happens when ‘all-day interviews’ with ‘multiple people’ reaches the ‘lunch interview’ slot. So, the boss decides to tie in their interviewing with the food.
Over on Reddit, one user shared that their old boss used to base a whole interview outcome on the very specific test.
They wrote of the ‘lunch interview’: “I heard about a guy who would base his entire decision on one thing - whether or not the person he was interviewing tried their food before reaching for salt, pepper, hot sauce, etc.
"If you didn't try your food first, you didn't get a pass from him."
I mean, it’s an interesting test to apply to a career scenario, but I guess it does tell you a little bit about someone’s character if they aren’t trying what’s in front of them before they change it up.
At least I know my mum would be offended if I spiced and seasoned her cooking before even taking a bite.
And while this former employee wasn't one hundred percent sure on why their ex-boss put so much emphasis on this test, they believed it was to do with people trying something without judging it first.
They added: “Glad I didn't interview with him because I pretty much always add pepper to stuff."
But this isn’t the only boss with weird interview techniques. The next one, however, has slightly more grounding.
Former boss of Xero Australia, Trent Innes, said that this interview-hack revealed everything he needed to know about a potential employee.
Speaking on The Venture podcast, 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.”
So, some things to remember before your next interview: never put salt or pepper on your lunch before trying, and always wash up the coffee cup, and you know all the other unimportant stuff like how many years’ experience you have and your transferable skills.
Jess Battison