All job interviews are the same. What is your biggest strength? What is your biggest weakness? Many candidates will tell you what you want to hear… it is hard to gauge talent before you hire when everyone gives you the same answers. Passion. Perfectionist. The same tips for both the recruiter and the candidate are in a million different articles. Why not spice it up a bit? Heineken did. Wix.com did. Hudl did.
Some organizations ask candidates to come back for a second interview, which can be a working interview. The brewing company, Heineken took the primary interview to the next level. They put candidates in situations they wouldn’t encounter during a traditional interview and put their personalities to the test.
Heineken: The Candidate
How can you gauge a talent’s true fit for a position if they are heavily prepared for the interview? It’s just like all of the other interviews they’ve been to all week. Now, Heineken goes above and beyond, putting candidates in potentially uncomfortable situations to assess their reactions.
The first test: holding hands with the interviewer down the hallway to the interview.
The second test: how do they respond when the interviewer appears to need medical assistance but continues to ask interview questions. The third and final assessment…
“Would you say you’re fiery and passionate or cold and calculated?”
“Fiery and passionate… other people are infected by my enthusiasm.”
“You think I’m getting infected right now?”
They put their candidates in awkward situations to force their true colors to the surface.