Insight #314:
Did you pass The Coffee Cup test of job interviewing? You don’t know? Let me explain.
Once about a time there was an executive who was proud of his candidate interview filter. He called it The Coffee Cup Test. (I’m using the past tense, because I assume he has changed his approach. I gather he got a lot of negative comments after he made his filter public.) (And no, I’m not sharing a link to the article. Search on “coffee cup test” if you must.)
Here it is, summarized in a, well, mug. If you don’t offer to wash your coffee mug after your interview with him, he won’t hire you.
Don’t misunderstand me. I like the fact that he, the executive, came up with a candidate filter. My filter was a trick question. (No, I won’t share it with you today. Maybe in a future post.)
My trick question is directly related to the candidate’s willingness to be interviewed. But washing dishes, or the offer to wash dishes? How is that related to the job?
The executive argued it gave a hint about the candidate’s attitude, specifically toward low-level tasks. He took the candidates on a tour of the kitchen, where they collected their refreshments. Which meant the candidates knew where the kitchen was… on their way out.
Yes, but…
Who is the guest? Who is the host?
This executive clearly forgets that he has two roles to play. He is the host, and he is the interviewer. As the host, he must be gracious and kind to his guest, so that his guest can relax and be as natural as possible during the interview. And as the hiring manager, the executive must focus on the task at hand, namely to evaluate, rationally, the candidate for the position on offer.
Instead, he played the boss role.
By the way, the executive (or the hiring manager, or the boss) has a third role to play, which I will explain. But first, the candidate.
As the candidate, you have three roles. You are a guest. Behave like one. You are the interviewee. Present yourself as the right candidate, so be truthful and authentic. But don’t forget you also need to know whether this company, this job, and this boss are right for you. Which makes your third role… that of an interviewer!
And this highlights the executive’s third role. Be a good interviewee so that the candidate gets an accurate picture of you, your company, and of the job on offer.
Now tell me, how would you feel if your possible future boss takes you on a tour of the kitchen, before your interview? And how would you feel if you found out after joining his team that what he really wanted to know was whether you would willingly do his lowly bidding? Like wash his mug?
In my day, I was more than happy if the candidate, my guest, thanked me for the coffee.
My warning to both boss and candidate is simple. Be clear on the roles you must play for the process to work well, then play them well.
- As the hiring manager: Be a gracious host. Be an effective interviewer. Be a willing interviewee. In that order.
- As the candidate: Be a pleasant guest. Be a compelling interviewee. Be a well-informed interviewer. In that order.
In case you’re wondering, yes, these roles apply during virtual interviews as well.
Welcome to my side of the nonsense divide.