Job candidates who thought they were at a casual lunch interview were actually facing a ridiculous test which for one boss was absolutely make or break.
When it comes to trying to get a job if things weren’t stressful enough it seems you have to worry about a whole host of secret tests bosses could be putting you through.
If you thought having a great resume, loads of experience and being qualified for the job was enough to get you the role... guess not if this Reddit story is anything to go by.
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One user has said one of his old bosses used to have this ‘salt and pepper’ test that he would spring on candidates without their knowledge.
If you were out for a lunch interview you might think how you treat the staff might be something they are focusing on, but nope this test is far more ridiculous and nonsensical.
The Reddit user claimed the boss felt this test helped show a person’s character. Not a clue how he came to that conclusion but we move.
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On a post the social media user wrote: “A company I used to work for does all-day interviews with multiple people, and one of them is always a 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."
Yup. It seems it doesn’t matter if you know you like your dish an extra bit salty or flaming hot, if you add before you fail, simple as.
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The Reddit user added they were glad they didn’t have to interview him because they definitely would fail based on how much pepper they add to their food.
But if you think this is weird... well, it is but this boss isn’t the only one with strange hiring techniques.
One trick was regarding your behavior after being offered a drink in the office.
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The trick was described by businessman Trent Innes, who is the former managing director of accounting platform Xeno, and who now works as the chief growth officer at SiteMinder.
In an appearance on 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."
He continued: "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?"
And the crux of the test is, if you don't take the cup back to kitchen then you're not the right fit for the company.
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Tough but a lot fairer than the salt and pepper test.