Hey, hiring managers — throw that beer test out the window
Over the last few years, the notion of passing a so-called "beer test" has become a pretty popular step of the interview process for deciding which employee candidates may be the next best cultural fit for your brand.
Personally, after years of running a global recruitment firm, I have found that this test – if you can call it that – leads to poor hiring decisions, unintended discrimination, and often prevents a diverse workplace.
So, what is the beer test? In a nutshell, it’s when a hiring manager envisions the company team sharing a drink with a potential candidate – and if all goes well, in his or her head, then maybe it’s time to shake hands and sign the contract.
Wait – what!?
Of course, we all want to bring on board those candidates who are likable, easy to work with, open to direction, and willing to commit to the team. But what we don’t, or shouldn’t, want around the office are a bunch of likeminded clones who may all love a good IPA but lack the ability to challenge each other on cultivating the best and most growth-oriented strategies for the business.
Below are a few points on why the beer test is a potential pitfall:
The beer test can lead to a false positive
Unless my team and I are missing something here, there is really no technical proof that the beer test works. Has anyone even seen a case study on this? You never actually know what kind of team member you are looking at until their official first day.
Let’s say a candidate barely meets the requirements to work at Wilson’s World of Widgets, but after passing the illustrious beer test, he/she gets the job over a more qualified, yet less “drink-y” candidate (whatever that means). What happens when that employee, who becomes known as the ‘fun one,’ also slows your company growth to a crawl, due to lack of expertise? Suddenly, you wonder if maybe that other candidate, the one with more qualifications, would have been the better choice… oops.
“Someone can pass the Beer Test, but still not be the type of person who is actively seeking out communication and working toward goals on their own," said Peter Swanson of Payscale.com.
It discriminates against the non-drinker
What if you simply can’t imagine having a drink with the candidate in front of you? What if they don’t drink at all? Is that it? Are they doomed? Not cool enough to make the team? Basically, what the beer test does, is it completely devalues an entire swath of smart, hard workers who simply don’t like to drink – or even more to the point – they might not be perceived as individuals who like to drink. To which, I say: “So what?”
Is this really the best way to hire? It makes the ridiculous assumption that drinkers make better work partners and non-drinkers don’t. Not only is this clear-cut discrimination, you’ll really be kicking yourself when that extremely qualified, yet not-cool-enough candidate joins up with Maggie’s Emporium of Even Better Widgets down the street, only to help drive their sales beyond your own.
A total diversity killer
I have seen the way many companies, from many different industries, like to hire – and I can say, unequivocally, that diversity in the workplace only increases pathways to success and smarter growth. The beer test seems to be an obstacle that just gets in the way of that.
Imagine you are placed in charge of hiring the first sales team at Wilson’s. You, personally, cannot get enough Jagerbombs during happy hour. So, you hire your first sales representative, who you believe is likeminded. Then, you hire your second employee to fit with the first – and so on and so on. Before you know it, you’ve hired an entire group of people (based on a pseudo-scientific theory) that ends up mimicking your very homogenous high school clique, rather than a highly skilled team with a range of vital talents.
You may as well have hired your own reflection, multiple times over. It’s actually pretty narcissistic if you think about it.
“I want to hire someone I can go to battle with. I can enjoy a beer with just about anyone.” said Rich Maiers, senior vice president of sales at BuildingConnected.
Back to basics
Once you throw the beer test out the proverbial window, get back to what actually makes up a good employee, and not necessarily what you think would constitute a new pal to hang out with.
Focus on communication skills, i.e., see if your candidates can effectively explain complex concepts in your field, describe successful past projects, processes, and clearly state their own expectations.
Get a sense of commitment to short and long-term goals by posing possible future situations in which the challenges may be tough. Inquire about previous hurdles and ask how they were dealt with.
Finally, it never hurts to look for unique expertise and benefits. For example, if most of your team studied technology at U.S-based colleges and universities, then perhaps pay attention to the young candidate who studied the same subjects abroad – and may be able to offer a different, cultural viewpoint.
Always be on the lookout for a counterpart, rather than a reflection – one that can both add value to your growing team, AND challenge them to work smarter. After all, the key to success is in our differences, not our similarities. Now, that’s a great talking point for your next happy hour
Carolyn Betts Fleming is the founder and CEO of Betts Recruiting, a San Francisco-based recruiting firm with offices in New York, Silicon Valley, Los Angeles, London and Austin, and is the leading agency for companies looking to find sales, marketing and client services talent. Since 2009, Betts Recruiting has partnered with the fastest growing and most innovative tech startups in the U.S. and Europe and places hundreds of professionals from VPs to college grads.
