Coffee test at Xero Australia: Unique hiring practice revealed

There is no single perfect way to prepare for a job interview. Some people intensely learn about the company, others review material from courses or studies, and others go to interviews without special preparation. However, at Xero Australia, anyone can fail the recruitment process... because of coffee.

Many people find job interviews very stressful. Finding a dream job is often not the easiest, but recruiters sometimes resort to tricks to test candidates' skills. One of the more interesting ideas is to use coffee.

It's not about spilling coffee or choosing a specific type but something entirely different. Even the fact that someone drinks coffee does not mean that the employer will consider them sleepy or addicted to caffeine. Trent Innes, the CEO of Xero Australia, shared his unusual recruitment method in an interview with The Ventures podcast. It must be admitted that it sounds very original.

Innes revealed that he always takes the candidate to the kitchen, where he leaves with a cup of coffee. After conducting the interview, he ensures whether the person he spoke with wants to take the empty cup back to the kitchen. As he claims, you can continually develop skills and gain knowledge and experience, but it all comes down to attitude. And those with a good attitude are the ones who think about washing the coffee cup.

The company's CEO indicates that this is an excellent way to check if someone fits into the enterprise's corporate culture. If the test does not end successfully, the candidate ends up on a blacklist as black as a double espresso.

The good news is that Trent Innes, unlike many other bosses, at least revealed one of his recruitment methods. This means that candidates can have it more accessible. Of course, only if they properly prepare for the interview and "screen" the potential boss online. And that may not be easy at all.

Although, in the case of Xero Australia, this beverage may cost a candidate a dream position, coffee itself is not a sin. The latest research shows that coffee does not harm our health at all. Even drinking 25 cups a day does not negatively affect the heart. This is new, as beliefs on this topic have changed. Previous studies suggested that a large amount of coffee could increase the risk of a heart attack or stroke.