Steve Jobs had a 'beer test' he would use for interviewing people at Apple

Back in the days when the late Steve Jobs was running Apple if you'd have been applying for work there you might have ended up getting the 'beer test'.

Applicants are put through all sorts of tests by the people meant to be interviewing them so you can expect to be bombarded with questions, tripped up by hidden meanings or get stuck in a wobbly chair where if you didn't ask for a better place to sit it'd cost you.

Lots of bosses have their own little tests which they believe reveals character in an interview, and Steve Jobs was no different.

The late Apple boss wanted to break applicants out of a rote process of going through memorised answers and basically reading a list of responses off a script.

Instead he preferred to keep it as casual as his outfit of a turtleneck and pair of jeans and that's where the 'beer test' would come in.

Andreas Rentz/Getty Images

It's pretty simple, he took potential Apple employees for a walk and went for a beer with them so he could have a more relaxed conversation.

The idea was that taking them on this walk would help to loosen them up a bit, getting them to chat a bit more honestly – that’s if they weren’t too starstruck about having a beer with the literal CEO of Apple.

Jobs would reportedly ask them questions ranging from the weighty 'When was the last time you accomplished something?' to a simple, 'What did you do last summer?'

Almost sounds like a school homework assignment.

He didn’t exactly look for any right or wrong answers, he was just looking to get to know the candidate better.

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After all, it’s fine having a colleague who knows everything they’re doing. But if they’re an absolute nightmare to work alongside it’s not worth it. We can all admit to relating to that.

Jobs’ aim in interviewing candidates was to find the very best of the best, the ‘A-Players’ as he regarded those of the highest class of their game.

He previously explained: “I found that when you get enough A-players together, when you go through the incredible job of finding these A-players, they really like working with each other.

“Because they’ve never had the chance to do it before.”

As for whether the 'beer test' actually worked, Apple seemed to do pretty well while Jobs was in charge.

Additional words by Jess Battison.

Topics: Apple, Business, Jobs

Joe Harker

Joe graduated from the University of Salford with a degree in Journalism and worked for Reach before joining the LADbible Group. When not writing he enjoys the nerdier things in life like painting wargaming miniatures and chatting with other nerds on the internet. He's also spent a few years coaching fencing. Contact him via [email protected]

@MrJoeHarker