A manager of a software development company has shared details about the two-step ‘confidence’ test he uses in every interview and explained why he won’t hire anyone who doesn’t pass it.
Hiring the right person is essential for any company, so many managers rely on specific techniques or unique tests to evaluate candidates during interviews.
We’ve recently heard about the salt test, but now another manager is explaining his own two-step ‘confidence’ test used in every interview.
Describing the process to the Daily Mirror US, the manager said: “I ask the following questions, allowing the interviewee to submit their answer to the first before asking the second: ‘What is 23 times 37?’ (or possibly ‘How do you spell surveillance?’).”
He then follows up with a second question: “What confidence do you have in that answer?”
The manager clarified that whether the candidate answers correctly isn’t the main focus here. Instead, he’s more interested in seeing how the person handles the question.
He explained: “What’s of interest is how they approach it: do they ask for needless clarification or for permission to use a calculator?”
“A second answer of ‘100%’ says something different than ‘99.9 per cent’. The permutations of answers to questions one and two always have something to say about the interviewee’s approach to problem-solving, to reporting information, and to customer service.”
“I work in IT, specifically as a software developer. The traditionally high turn-over in the field is due not just to its dynamism, but also to the fact that, all too often, those with hiring and/or recommendation authority are not trained or even inclined to recognize the significance of character and professionalism.”
Earlier this week, we also learned about the coffee cup test that another manager uses in every single interview.
Speaking on The Ventures podcast, business owner Trent Innes shared: “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.”
At this stage, interviewees are all given a drink, as there seems to be no option to politely decline.
Innes continued: “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?”
The point of the test is straightforward—if you don’t return the cup to the kitchen after the interview, then you’re likely not the right fit for the team.
He added: “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’.”
