Why companies do the “coffee cup test” in job interviews

Job interviews can be stressful. Many candidates, in fear of missing out on a vacancy, get nervous and get confused when answering the employer’s questions.

To make valuations smoother, CEO Trent Innes, former Managing Director of Xero Australia, I decided to use a simple coffee cup to test the candidates.

“I will always take you for a picnic in one of our kitchens,” the CEO said in a 2019 interview with the podcast. projectsThat echoed again last week. “And somehow you always end up leaving with a drink.”

The CEO explains why he takes the coffee cup test in job interviews

Innes said he refuses to hire someone who is unable to return an empty cup to the kitchen. “One of the things I always look for at the end of an interview is: Does the person want to put the empty glass back in the kitchen sink?” he asked.

The objective of the coffee cup test is to assess the employee’s ability to act on their own. “You can develop skills, gain knowledge and experience, but it all depends on behavior,” he noted. “And the situation we talk about a lot is the concept of washing your coffee cup.”

Also Read: “The World’s Best Barista Teaches Perfect Filter Coffee”

The CEO says the “coffee cup test” helps a recruiter know who the person is as an employee — before hiring.

“What I’ve been trying to figure out is the lowest-level mission that I can find no matter what you do within the organization is still important and that really drives the culture of ownership,” he said.

Read more: “Elderly man offering coffee to help street sweepers”

Innes explained that the coffee-cup test in job interviews also serves to assess a worker’s willpower.

“It’s really about making sure the candidates really fit into the culture of Xero and that they have everything they’re supposed to,” he said.