In the business world, employee selection is a crucial process. So much so that it usually determines the success or failure of a company. You know what they say: the most valuable asset is human capital. That’s why Steve Jobs “filtered” his workers through a most prosaic and human test: taking them to the bar. Seriously, it literally consisted of buying them a beer and seeing how they reacted to certain questions.
Inspired by the Apple co-founder’s practices, some companies have adopted a methodology known as the “coffee test” to evaluate candidates. The goal is similar: Identify the most proactive and talented employeeswhom Steve Jobs called “the A players.” Jobs knew that this type of person was not only someone who was exceptional in their work and routines, but also someone who fit into the team, into Apple’s deeply rooted philosophy. And what does that consist of? We tell you.
How the coffee test works
There’s no need to resort to hackneyed clichés to assert that coffee has transcended its traditional role as a mere beverage to become a central element of corporate culture. In many offices, the coffee machine is much more than a gadget. saleis a meeting point where collaboration and the exchange of ideas are encouraged. The choice of coffee, its preparation and consumption It reflects secrets about people, about the values and identity of each individual and the company as a whole.
The coffee test we were talking about is similar to the beer test imagined by the co-founder of Apple and father of the iPhone. The procedure is similar: a position of responsibility invites the candidate for the position to have coffee. The interviewee lets his guard down while the manager scrutinizes the candidate’s “soft skills” or personal traits. While they drink coffee and tour the officesfirst questions may revolve around things like do you like it that way, do you prefer it with sugar, spicier… warm-up questions, mindless.
Then, questions will be asked about daily life, life experiences and how you would resolve risky situations. AND Your body language will tell you if you are comfortable and confident or if you are nervous and hesitant.. All this non-verbal language will reveal what a priori usually remains hidden. Instead of focusing only on academic knowledge, this technique will detect (or not) additional qualities such as problem solving and diverse management within the position.
A practical example: Xero
Through this test, as indicated by some business schools and companies, we can assess whether a worker is lying or telling the truth, whether he has real knowledge or improvises, whether his answers are short and brief and whether he It’s about shyness or a certain extreme confidence. But there is more : If when you finish your coffee you don’t clean the cup they left for you, “you’re out”.
Or that’s what they think should be done in Xero. Xero is an Australian company with over 4,200 employees. Its products are based on software as a service, cloud computing and similar and sells services in over 180 countries. They do the coffee test to check if the candidates are responsible and good colleagues..
The concept of washing your cup implies a positive and responsible attitude and an ability to solve your own problems. So now you know: the next time your future boss invites you for a cup of coffee, measure what you do carefully, otherwise he may never be your future boss.
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