Boss uses coffee cup to test new staff in every job interview – and won’t hire anyone who fails it

A BOSS has revealed the simple test he uses in every interview – and he won’t hire anyone who fails it. It has nothing to do with your CV or references, with Trent Innes opting to use a coffee cup to test prospective staff. Trent, of accounting software firm Xero Australia, said he always makes […]

A BOSS has revealed the simple test he uses in every interview – and he won’t hire anyone who fails it.

It has nothing to do with your CV or references, with Trent Innes opting to use a coffee cup to test prospective staff.

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Trent, of accounting software firm Xero Australia, said he always makes sure his candidates get a hot drink or glass of water when they come in for an interview.

Speaking on The Venture Podcast with Lambros Photios, he said: “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.

“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’.”

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If you do offer to take your mug back to the kitchen, Trent will consider you for a job.

Those who don’t are immediately blacklisted.

Trent continued: “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.

“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.”

It really does come down to attitude, and the attitude that we talk a lot about is the concept of ‘wash your coffee cup’

Trent Innes, boss at Xero Australia

Is anyone else racking your brain right now, thinking about what you did (or didn’t do) in your last job interview?

Trent says the majority of people he interviews do offer to return their cup to the kitchen.

He never makes them actually do it, he just wants to see them offer.

So there you go folks. It’s probably worth making the offer in your next job interview – just in case someone’s taking note.

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