Love this Chick fil-A interview technique

[smadath]

From the article...

"If the candidate kicks the trash away or ignores it, Moss confronts them about the decision to get a better sense of the situation."

Yep. Please see my post below yours.

 

[chicagodisneyfan]

We used to conduct group interviews, and I would come in like a candidate and observe beforehand.
Are the candidates friendly - do they introduce themselves to others, talk positively about wanting to work for us, are they filing their nails and ignoring the rest of the room. Its very interesting what you see when someone does not know you are watching.

 

[Minnesota!]

I would pick it up - I do it wherever I go, anyway. Make the world a little cleaner, 1 piece of trash at a time.

 

[luvsJack]

If this is the test they use at our local Chick-fil-A then believe me it works wonderfully. They have the best employees of any fast food place in town. Never had an order wrong, never forget the straws or sauces at the drive through, never have had to wait, they always say thank you and have a nice day. I am always amazed at how great all of them do their jobs.

 

[luvsJack]

I promise you that if I'm entering a location for a job interview, I'm not thinking about a straw paper on the ground, even if I see it there. It's not laziness, or being above picking up trash, but I would definitely have other things on my mind at that time. That is a high stress situation, and I wouldn't expect an interviewee to behave the same as if they were already working at the place. It really isn't a fair test, IMO.

Maybe you are just overthinking it?

Its one part of the interview, not the whole thing. I am sure he listens to their reasons for not picking it up.

 

[gwynne]

Maybe you are just overthinking it?

Its one part of the interview, not the whole thing. I am sure he listens to their reasons for not picking it up.

Well, hopefully a manager models mature, respectful behavior. This is playing games with people who (we assume) need a job. Certainly some will think it's fine, but others not so much. Different strokes.

 

[sunshinehighway]

Well, hopefully a manager models mature, respectful behavior. This is playing games with people who (we assume) need a job. Certainly some will think it's fine, but others not so much. Different strokes.

Yeah I see it as playing games too. It would give me a bad impression of the manager. I'd have to wonder how much of a pain he is to deal with. I mean I see it as making up some test based randomly on how he feels people should behave. Does he have some type of special knowledge of human behavior that qualified him to come up with this ' test' to determine someone's personality? I doubt it.

 

[luvsJack]

Well, hopefully a manager models mature, respectful behavior. This is playing games with people who (we assume) need a job. Certainly some will think it's fine, but others not so much. Different strokes.

Well, like I said, if they use something like that here then it definitely works. They are all very conscientious employees and seem happy with their jobs.

I think you are taking it way to seriously. It's like the office manager who puts out a sign that says "NEEDED: Secratary" and then says the first one that corrects the spelling is the one that gets the job. Every secretary's job is to proofread stuff for their boss or to write documents themselves that need to be proofread. So being able to spot the incorrect spelling is important.

Picking up trash is part of the job of every crew member at Chick-Fil-A so picking up so looking for someone that picks it up without thinking its beneath them is probably a big deal to the manager.

 

[nugov2]

Yeah I see it as playing games too. It would give me a bad impression of the manager. I'd have to wonder how much of a pain he is to deal with. I mean I see it as making up some test based randomly on how he feels people should behave. Does he have some type of special knowledge of human behavior that qualified him to come up with this ' test' to determine someone's personality? I doubt it.

I'd imagine as a hiring manager he does have some special knowledge and why he feels this helps to determine who is better qualified. He knows what type of people fit in that working environment and what type do not, that is his job.

Like another poster mentioned chick-fil-a is hands down the cleanest and friendliest fast food restaurant around. Doesn't matter where I have been in one they are always the same unlike other fast food places that vary widely of cleanliness and friendliness.

I don't view it as a game. Instead of asking a question about taking the opportunity to go above and beyond they are giving the candidate a chance to put their money where their mouth is and if the don't to explain why they didn't. I'm sure there are valid reasons why and the manager would listen to what it was.

 

[robinb]

I think they need a better standard for picking good employees and employers, all the way up the chain. They barely started to make things a tiny bit right back in 2012 after a lot of bad publicity, but they keep waffling. Not impressed.

I was thinking along the same lines. Chick-fil-A encourages "Integrity and Compassion" while at the same time still funding the Fellowship of Christian Athletes (FCA) to the tune of over $1M. I have issues with their "sexual purity" statement.

 

[L&Lfan]

Chick Fil A is an absolute pleasure to visit! Never had a bad experience there unlike at our local McDonald's, Burger King or Wendy's. And they're closed on Sundays which I think is refreshing.

 

[Juliet25]

Exactly! And that's why this test is such a good idea IMO. The teen doesn't know at that point that they are being watched. Will they pick up the trash or just walk around it?

I don't know about that. When I get out of my car and walk into a building for an interview, I'm well aware that I could be being watched. It's not rocket science to be on your "A" game when you're at the place you're interviewing.

 

[sam_gordon]

When I was in college, a professor liked to tell the story of how he had a class on a "field trip" when things started going crazy. One of the employees at the place they were visiting pointed at one of the students and said "Call New York and find out <whatever it was>." The student could have very easily said "I don't work here", "It's not my responsibility", or any of a number of excuses. Instead she sat down at a desk, found the number, called and got the information. That simple act ended up landing her a job.

 

[gemini2727]

Well, like I said, if they use something like that here then it definitely works. They are all very conscientious employees and seem happy with their jobs.

I think you are taking it way to seriously. It's like the office manager who puts out a sign that says "NEEDED: Secratary" and then says the first one that corrects the spelling is the one that gets the job. Every secretary's job is to proofread stuff for their boss or to write documents themselves that need to be proofread. So being able to spot the incorrect spelling is important.

Picking up trash is part of the job of every crew member at Chick-Fil-A so picking up so looking for someone that picks it up without thinking its beneath them is probably a big deal to the manager.

But on a job interview, I would feel completely out of line to point out the boss' misspelling. It isn't my place yet. Once, I work there, of course, but not before, I think that would be an obnoxious thing to do.

 

[PollyannaMom]

I'm bummed now that we don't have one of these around here so I can try the place.

I think the test is kind of clever. I always said if I was interviewing people, I'd leave a difficult jigsaw puzzle out in the waiting area with a sign welcoming everyone to contribute, and see who did.

 

[MamaLema]

I think it is a great test. Too bad the word got out and the manager will have to change what he does.

It shows what people care about. I wouldn't want to hire people that are just looking for a job. I would want someone that takes pride in what they do. People that would normally, without thinking about it, pick up trash in a restaurant, that's the kind of person that will take pride in their work.

I understand what you're saying, but managers should understand that maybe the next thing the person does after they touch the trash is shake hands with the manager, plus people are generally nervous at job interviews. Personally, I spend a few minutes mentally calming myself down and going over interview questions in my head. I would be too focused on that. I think they are getting a lot of good people get away that would otherwise take pride in their work.

 

[rigs32]

Why would I be friendly with others prior to a group interview? We're all there to compete for a position. If I talk to them about why *I* want the job, I'd be afraid of them stealing my answer.

To get the job I have now, there's a panel interview with as many supervisors as are available. You're asked questions about scenarios you may or may not know the "correct" answer to, but it's to test your ability to problem solve and think on your feet. But all the questions are related to the job and based off real examples of things people deal with. You can train someone as to the right answer. You can't train them to have the self-confidence to go forward when on their own in unfamiliar territory.

 

[kathyk2]

I think having potential employees pick up trash could be a violation of the ADA. Someone could have trouble bending down and physically picking up the item. The potential employee may not want to this this information until they have a job offer. The manager would be better off asking potential employees how they would handle seeing trash on the floor.

 

[MaryLovesPoohBear]

I think having potential employees pick up trash could be a violation of the ADA. Someone could have trouble bending down and physically picking up the item. The potential employee may not want to this this information until they have a job offer. The manager would be better off asking potential employees how they would handle seeing trash on the floor.

No one is required to pick up the trash. They aren't asked to pick up trash.

The trash is simply left out to see.

The manager simply talks about picking up trash.

 

[FairestOfThemAll37]

We used to conduct group interviews, and I would come in like a candidate and observe beforehand.
Are the candidates friendly - do they introduce themselves to others, talk positively about wanting to work for us, are they filing their nails and ignoring the rest of the room. Its very interesting what you see when someone does not know you are watching.

I guess I don't really see what qualities you're trying to glean from this. Stranger friendliness? If I'm going into a group interview, I'm not rude, but I'm surely not sharing my reasons for wanting to work somewhere with my competition. Especially since I would have done my homework and not everybody does.

Even if I'm not there for a group interview, before an interview I'm in my own head getting in the zone. I'm making sure my resumes are in order, going over my questions one last time in my head. Reviewing names/titles of people I'm meeting etc. My focus absolutely would not be on chit chat beyond maybe introducing myself (if it seemed appropriate).

I wouldn't be grooming myself (unless I stepped into the restroom) as I think that's tacky, but I most certainly wouldn't be playing to the waiting room. Even if I knew somebody was watching, I doubt I would do much interacting.

Now if you told the candidates to spend x amount of time before the interview speaking about xyz then that would be a little different.