Sneaky 'coffee test' leaves people divided over 'callous' hiring trick you've probably come across without realising

Even the most vanilla job interview is a stressful experience. With so much time and energy expected from candidates through the hiring process, the pressure builds with every step closer to the goal.

When interviewers have particular ‘tests’ up their sleeve to ascertain whether you’re the right fit, it’s easy to get caught off-guard or unwittingly slip up under some hidden expectation.

We recently covered how Trent Innes, former MD at Xero and current Chief Growth Officer at SiteMinder, employs a particularhiring tactic that’s seen many a candidate fall during the final furlong.

Trent Innes, Chief Growth Officer at SiteMinder (SiteMinder press announcement)

"I will always take you for a walk down to one of our kitchens and somehow you always end up walking away with a drink,” he said on business podcast The Ventures.

"Then we take that back, have our interview, and one of the things I'm always looking for at the end of the interview is, does the person doing the interview want to take that empty cup back to the kitchen?

"You can develop skills, you can gain knowledge and experience but it really does come down to attitude, and the attitude that we talk a lot about is the concept of 'wash your coffee cup.'"

It all comes down to whether the candidate offers to wash their cup – if not, it’s a no from Innes.

"If you come into the office one day inside Xero, you'll see the kitchens are almost always clean and sparkling and it's very much off that concept of wash your coffee cup,” he said, having still been at Xero at the time.

"It's really just making sure that they're actually going to fit into the culture inside Xero, and really take on everything that they should be doing."

Comments on our Facebook page demonstrated how divisive this kind of interviewing tactic can be, with one saying:

“That's a callous and rather pathetic ‘tactic’, to be honest. If someone brings you a coffee in a high pressure environment, asking if you can personally go wash that coffee cup afterward should probably put you on a register somewhere.

“‘Where does this go?’, sure. ‘Can I go wash my cup after this interview please?’ is socially... odd.”

Another noted that Innes has likely missed out on some highly capable employees through it: “He’s probably passed up great talent over this nonsense.”

For others, it’s fair to expect candidates to be on their absolute politest behaviour during an interview, especially where conscientiousness is concerned.

“My dad taught me to always show kindness and respect to everyone in the building. First of all it made me less nervous to smile and chat a little with the doorman or receptionist. Second, you never know who is watching you.

Don't forget your manners (JGI/Jamie Grill/Getty Images)

“Treat everyone with the same courtesy from the janitor to the CEO.”

It’s a good rule to follow for getting on in life, let alone for passing a job interview.

Where do you stand on this kind of interview tactic? Have you looked back and realised it might have been the reason why you didn’t get through a tough hiring process?

Trent Innes has been approached by FOODBible for comment.