Boss Uses A Night Out Test During Every Interview And Refuses To Hire Candidates Who Fail
No one is really sure if it's wise or not.
astarot / Shutterstock Every company has its own interview tactics. Some are more willing to reveal their secrets than others.
For one job interviewee, a boss had no problem sharing their trick to decide if a candidate was worth hiring.
One boss gives his job candidates a night out test to decide if they were worth hiring.
One person posed a question on Reddit for managers to answer. “Do you have special ‘tests’ for interviewees that you put them through without their knowing?” they asked.
One fellow user responded with an experience they had. In this situation, they were not the manager but heard the information from one.
“I interviewed with a company recently who told me about their process for interviewing sales engineers,” they shared. “They would go about the normal interview, but that evening, they would all go out for drinks and try to pump the recruits full of alcohol.”
“It was meant to be fun, but also a test of whether the person can either know their limits and politely decline or hold their own after a lot of drinks,” they explained. “Apparently, drinking is a big part of sales.”
Redditors who replied to the comment found it very amusing.
“Getting the other person drunk while seeming to not try to get the other person drunk while not getting drunk yourself is extremely useful for getting a better price or larger order/contract,” one person said.
“‘Mad Men’ taught me this,” quipped another.
A third person added, “I think that at my first job out of school, they may have done something similar.” The Reddit user went on to detail how one of the “senior guys” that was part of the interview told a story about getting drunk, seemingly to try to draw one out of the interviewee. They were smart enough to avoid the trap.
This type of job interview is not always appropriate for work.
It may seem obvious, but involving alcohol in job interviews is generally not a great idea. One HR manager shared the story of how a candidate he interviewed imbibed prior to the interview and created an awkward situation.
Dejan Madjoski said on LinkedIn, “It was an interview with a candidate who behaved rather odd throughout the interview. He seemed to be relaxed and fluent and seemed to know what he was talking about. His experience and other characteristics matched what we were looking for, so the interview took a bit longer.”
As the interview progressed, something seemed off. “He had this lost look in his eyes, and I knew that something [was] wrong,” Madjoski said. “So, I asked him how he prepared for the interview, and as expected, I received the usual well-put answer.”
Madjoski questioned the man further, not entirely believing him. That’s when he gave himself up.
“‘Well … I have found out that I feel more relaxed and confident and less stressed if I add some ‘gas’ before an important meeting,’’ the interviewee told Madjoski. “‘I feel a lot less pressure with a glass of whiskey 30 minutes before it starts.’”
Madjoski said he can’t necessarily recommend drinking before an interview but suggested finding something else that relaxes you.
Some recommend accepting drinks from interviewers, just not alcoholic ones.
IMAGE Magazine addressed what a job candidate’s answer should be when asked if they would like a drink during an interview — “tea, coffee, or water,” that is.
“In short, when presented with the question “Can I get you a drink?” during an interview, the correct answer is always YES,” they said. “By accepting the offer, you’ll show that you’re confident, that you’re worth valuing, and it’ll immediately bump up your likeability from the get-go.”
So, it is apparently appropriate and even preferable to accept drinks during an interview. However, it's best to save truly letting loose for events that do not include co-workers and potential employers.
Mary-Faith Martinez is a writer for YourTango who covers entertainment, news and human interest topics.