Most candidates go into an interview with carefully crafted answers, rehearsed weaknesses, and a series of research questions designed to impress. But Apple’s Steve Jobs reportedly used a very unconventional method when deciding who was hired: the “beer test.”
Instead of trying to hound candidates with some tough questions or quizzing them on the latest iPhone, the late co-founder of the $4.3 trillion tech giant wanted to know something much simpler: Would he really enjoy having a beer with them?
According to multiple reports, Jobs would even take candidates for informal walk-and-talk interviews, deliberately testing whether he could get along with them outside the office. The so-called “beer test” actually has nothing to do with alcohol. This is to see if the candidate can drop corporate behavior long enough to have a real conversation and be pleasant to deal with.
as As the United States Jobs reportedly would ask potential employees questions such as “What did you do last summer?” to keep the conversation going. There’s no right or wrong answer, but if the chat is awkward, exhausting, or non-existent, it’s probably not good news.
That’s because at the end of the story, Jobs asked himself, “Would I have a beer with this person? Would I have a casual conversation with him or her on a walk?” If the answer was no, that told him something that his resume couldn’t tell him.
Steve Jobs said before wealth Hiring ultimately comes down to gut instinct
Compared to today’s increasingly popular Myers-Briggs assessments and 90-minute exams, Jobs’ “beer test” may not sound serious. But the Apple co-founder insists his hiring strategy is anything but that.
In a 2008 interview wealthThe late tech billionaire said finding the best person for the job was like “finding a needle in a haystack… and I take it very seriously.”
At that time—just three years before his death—Jobs said he had interviewed more than 5,000 candidates, but that ability alone was not enough to impress him. However, he could only learn so much from a standard one-hour interview.
“So ultimately, it comes down to your gut,” he said. “How do I feel about this person? What do they look like when they are challenged?”
Executives at Chanel, Amazon and Twilio stress the importance of individuality
Jobs wasn’t the only business leader to shake up the traditional interview format.
as wealth As previously reported, former Consumer Technology Association CEO Gary Shapiro has his own make-or-break test: He asks candidates when they can start. He said if they say “leave now” while still employed, that’s a red flag because they’re willing to put their current boss in trouble.
