How Steve Jobs used ‘beer test’ when interviewing new people for jobs at Apple
Steve Jobs once had a 'beer test' he would use while interviewing job applicants at Apple, and it sounds pretty genius.
Job interviews are hard enough, what with all the prep, handling the nerves and being able to answer a series of questions on the spot.
Some people naturally thrive in interview scenarios, whereas others struggle under pressure.
And it's not surprising, what with so many job interview settings feeling so formal.
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It could explain why some bosses have their own ways of narrowing down the candidates based on tips and tricks they've picked up over the years.
For Steve Jobs, he preferred something called the 'beer test'.
So, how does it work?
Well, the late CEO would allegedly take Apple interviewees for a beer so they could have a more informal meeting.
According to AS, he would ask himself: “Would I have a beer with this person? Would I talk to him or her in a relaxed way while taking a walk?”
During the informal beer chat, Jobs would ask the candidate a range of questions, including 'when was the last time you accomplished something?' and 'what did you do last summer?'
While there were of course no specifically right or wrong answers to the questions, Jobs was trying to get to know the applicants to establish if they would be a good fit in the business.
Despite the informal setting, he was still looking for the best employees, or as he called them, A-players.
He 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.”
It seems hiring managers have all kinds of techniques for finding the right candidates.
For example, have you heard of the water test?
The ‘water test’ was posted on Reddit after a user asked hiring managers to reveal the ‘special tests’ they handed out to candidates.
One respondent said they were given the water test, where ‘they put a jug of water with a cup out to see if anyone would drink it while being interviewed’.
The person went on to explain what the hiring manager was looking for in a potential employee by utilising the jug.
They shared: “I was the only person who drank the water at a ‘normal pace’ during the interview, and this is seen as being ‘confident in the workplace environment by accepting a gift or offer.’”
The user added that their ‘normal pace’ was to take a sip of water after answering each of their questions, as to pace themselves.
The Redditor wrote: “Apparently, you can tell a lot about a person from the way they refuse the offer of the water or by drinking it too fast.”
Lucy Devine