Boss Uses ‘Salt & Pepper Test’ In Every Job Interview And Avoids Hiring Candidates Who Fail
Even the smallest details matter when it comes to your success.
RossHelen / Shutterstock We’re often faced with choices in life that we can’t predict the outcome of, yet sometimes, we’re given insight into how one decision might benefit us more than the other. And sometimes it's the choices that we make during job interviews that can have a huge impact on the future of our career, even when they are not seemingly job related.
One boss has a salt and pepper test he uses during job interviews and how candidates respond determine whether he hires them or not.
A man in the Air Force told a story of success, failure, and seasonings on the r/AirForce Reddit thread, sharing that he learned a valuable lesson while attending lunch with other Air Force members.
When a Wing Command Chief noticed that a Staff Sergeant put salt on his food without tasting it first, he imparted a salient piece of wisdom by way of telling a story.
"There once were two men applying for a job at a very well respected Fortune 500 company,” the Command Chief said. “One of the men went to Harvard, and one went to Yale.”
Both “exceptional” men had 4.0 GPAS and glowing character references, leaving the CEO at a loss of who to hire.
The CEO decided to take both men out to dinner at an upscale restaurant as a way to find out which candidate was better suited for the job.
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So the CEO took both of them out to dinner at a fancy restaurant to talk with them and try and find which one would be better suited for the job.
“When their food arrived, one of the men began to put salt and pepper on his food while the other man took a small bite of each item on his dish and then put salt and pepper on a few items from his dish,” the Command Chief said.
‘The CEO knew right then and there that the man who tasted his food first was the one who would get the job.’
When pressed for more information as to why he chose that man over the one who salted his food without tasting it first, the CEO declared, “These two men were perfect in every way but the man who tasted his food first knew that some things don't need extra flavor but some things do.”
“I knew right then and there that this would be a man that will fix things but will also not fix things that don't need fixing,” the CEO determined.
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According to the Command Chief, there’s always a good reason not to salt your food before tasting it: “It could be good enough already.”
Aside from the fact that putting salt on food without tasting it is a decision that could be seen as an insult to the chef, there are other negative effects of adding extra salt to food. Ingesting too much salt can lead to high blood pressure and even cause your hands and feet to swell, due to water retention.
It’s possible that the CEO gleaned other insights about each candidate’s personality type based on how they chose to season their food.
The man who tasted his food before salting it was probably a thoughtful person, the kind of guy who measures twice and cuts once. He most likely wasn’t one to jump without looking or put the company in danger with any risky decision that he hadn’t considered in full.
The CEO’s salt and pepper test just goes to show that even the smallest decisions can impact our future success.
Alexandra Blogier is a writer on YourTango's news and entertainment team. She covers social issues, pop culture, and all things to do with the entertainment industry.