- Job seekers: Don’t salt your food before tasting it at a lunch interview. It could make the difference between being offered the role or not.
Hiring managers are constantly finding new hoops for candidates to jump through. Some CEOs are even secretly trying to trip up hopeful new hires over dinner. But it’s not a thorny question job seekers need to look out for. Instead, it’s the secret salt (or pepper, or hot sauce, for that matter) test.
The test is nothing new. However, social media users are panicking over the strange interview tactic after an old Reddit post from an Air Force chief was recently resurfaced in various publications.
“There once were two men applying for a job at a very well respected Fortune 500 company. One of the men went to Harvard and one went to Yale. They were both exceptional in every single way with 4.0 GPAs and numerous references to vouch for their character. They were both so good that the CEO couldn’t decide which one to hire and since there was only one job opening, only one could be hired,” the chief explained.
So he invited them to dinner to decipher which was the best of the two candidates.
“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 CEO knew right then and there that the man who tasted his food first was the one who would get the job,” he added.
Another Reddit user similarly warned interviewees that a company they used to work for “does all-day interviews with multiple people, and one of them is always a lunch interview.”
“I heard about a guy who would base his entire decision on one thing—whether or not the person he was interviewing tried their food before reaching for salt, pepper, hot sauce, etc.
“If you didn’t try your food first, you didn’t get a pass from him.”
Why? Because putting salt (or anything) on your food before tasting it is the equivalent of judging a book by its cover and apparently highlights a lack of patience.
Since the salt-and-pepper test made its rounds again, people have been warning others about it on social media.
On a recent Reddit post where a user asked about the likelihood of him being hired after being offered a final interview over dinner, one of the comments said, “Don’t put salt and pepper on your food before tasting it.”
Another recent Reddit user alleged that IBM uses this interview technique. The Fortune 500 company didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment.
Meanwhile, one X user even advised Elon Musk to take “prospective employees” on a working lunch to put them to the test.
“If you notice them salting their food prior to tasting it’s an indication they’ll make rush decisions, possibly poor ones,” @BuddyWorth6614 told the world’s richest man.
Watch out for the pricey menu items and waiters too
It’s not just salt and pepper that interviewees need to watch out for if they’re attending a lunch meeting with a potential boss.
Other things CEOs could be testing you for over the course of the meal include how quickly you order, whether you wait for others to sit before sitting down to eat, the price of the items you order, and more.
One consultant even revealed on X that he knows a CEO who would take candidates for breakfast and secretly ask the servers to mess up their order “to see how they’d react.”
If a company you are interviewing with wants to take you to lunch….
— Trenton Hughes (@trentjhughes) July 3, 2024
It's a test
It's not a celebration lunch…
They will be looking for the following:
How well you interact with staff
How quickly you order
When you sit in comparison to the others
How your manners are…
As Lewis Maleh, CEO of the global recruitment agency Bentley Lewis, tells Fortune, lunch (or breakfast, or dinner) interviews are more than just a meal.
“It’s a chance for employers to see you in a relaxed setting,” he says. “They’ll be assessing your soft skills, how you handle yourself outside the office, and even your dining etiquette. Make sure you treat everyone with respect, from the CEO to the waiter.”
Career coach Kyle Elliott, EdD, echoes that interviewees should put their best foot forward no matter how informal the setting is.
“Many companies take candidates out for a meal to learn about them in a more relaxed environment,” he warns, adding that anyone interviewing for a client-facing role should “expect to be heavily scrutinized.”
“Regardless, you want to be on your best behavior and mindful of how you interact with service staff, your ability to hold a conversation and the appropriateness of topics you discuss, and your manners,” Elliott adds. “Don’t let all the techniques you practiced during your earlier interviews slide. Also, think twice before drinking during a lunch interview.”
5 tips for passing a lunch interview
Maleh told Fortune that job seekers should consider the following five factors when sitting across the dining table from a hiring manager.
- Social skills: How do you interact with the waiters? Are you polite, respectful, and considerate?
- Communication style: Is your conversation engaging and interesting? Do you listen actively and contribute meaningfully?
- Table manners: This might seem old-fashioned, but your dining etiquette matters. Are you mindful of your manners and considerate of others?
- Body language: Even in a relaxed setting, your body language speaks volumes. Are you present, engaged, and approachable?
- Authenticity: Relax and be yourself.
Plus, don’t forget that you can equally judge a potential boss if they’re rude to a waiter.
“Remember, the lunch interview is a two-way street,” Maleh concludes. “It’s also a chance for you to assess the company culture and see if it’s the right fit for you.”
Have you recently sat through a strange interview test? Or are you a manager who has a unique way of testing prospective employees? Fortune wants to hear from you. Get in touch: Orianna.Royle@fortune.com
