US boss reveals ‘text message’ test they use in job interviews

A CEO of a top executive firm has revealed the simple test he uses to screen out potential employees during job interviews.

Boss reveals secret ‘text message’ test. Picture: iStock

Job interviews are already nerve-racking enough with employers and recruiters asking candidates tough questions.

But, not every company sticks to the usual hard hitting questions. One US boss revealed the “text message” test he uses to determine whether an applicant is right for the role.

Author of Be The Unicorn: 12 Data Driven Habits That Separate the Best From the Rest and the Founder and CEO of Vanderbloemen Search Group William Vanderbloemen, from Texas, explained to news.com.au how he identifies the standout potential employee.

“After an initial interview, candidates we are interested in will receive a random text from someone in our office thanking them for their interest and likely asking a rather benign question, but one which should cause the candidate to respond,” the 53-year-old from Texas said.

“We then see how long it takes the candidate to respond.”

Founder and CEO of Vanderbloemen Search Group William Vanderbloemen. Picture: Supplied

An example of the unique technique would be a question such as, “Okay, the Astros have won over fifty games before the All-Star break. How many teams that do that also win the World Series? Do you know?”

The businessman said applicants who fit the company’s culture respond “very quickly”, within 10 minutes or on the same day while others are very slow to the question.

“Nearly everyone [has been hired based on the test], but we have made exceptions,” he said.

“It’s not a pass/fail test or a discriminatory exam.”

Mr Vanderbloemen revealed how he devised the test, highlighting how his workplace culture is uniquely wired to move fast and respond quickly.

“It’s not a culture that every company has (or should have), but it is what makes us “us,” he said.

“Our interview process tries to ascertain (from the very beginning) who would fit our unique bent toward responsiveness.

“There are a lot of great candidates who are talented, smart, and would work well in other settings, but not in our unique environment.

“To help discern who would naturally thrive in our culture, we designed the text message test.”

Mr Vanderbloemen has some handy advice for anyone who receives a similar test to the “text message”.

“Make sure you are interviewing for a job where the culture fits your natural wiring,” he said.

“If you get back to people quickly, you will stand out in the crowd!”

The “text message” test determines whether an applicant is right for the role. Picture: iStock

Mr Vanderbloemen is not the only employer who has a sneaky tactic.

In a resurfaced 2019 interview with the podcast The Ventures, former managing director for Xero Australia Trent Innes revealed the “coffee cup” test he uses in job interviews to see if a candidate is a fit for the job.

The Aussie boss said the secret trick allows him to have a good impression of who you are as an employee.

“You really want to make sure that you’ve got people who’ve got a real sense of ownership, and that’s really what I was looking for,” he said.

“Attitude and ownership scale, especially in a really fast growing environment like we’ve been going through and still at this stage as well.

“It’s really just making sure that they’re going to fit into the culture inside Xero, and really take on everything that they should be doing.”

Former managing director for Xero Australia Trent Innes.

Mr Innes said just five to 10 per cent of interviewees fail the “coffee cup” test as they don’t take their empty cups back to the kitchen.

“The really pleasing thing is a vast majority of people do [offer],” he said.

“I don’t always make them take it back, it’s just an offer and usually I’d take it back for them of course – it’s just the sense of offering.”

Mr Innes no longer works for Xero and is the current chief growth officer of hotel commerce platform, SiteMinder.

Originally published as US boss reveals ‘text message’ test they use in job interviews