I’m A HR Expert – Your Interview Chair May Be A Secret Test

Anyone who’s tried job-hunting recently will know that the interviewing process can feel endless. 

There seem to be more “rounds” of interviews than ever before, with the BBC attributing the change to remote work and post-pandemic staff cuts.

The higher-up your role, the more drawn-out the process may be, they add. 

And now, HR expert Marta Říhová from Kickresume has told HuffPost UK, that employers may use “hidden tests” when you actually sit in front of them too. 

“These little surprises are designed to reveal something about a candidate’s personality and whether they’d be a good fit for the team,” she wrote, adding “Some of them are pretty unusual.” 

Tests may include the “wobbly chair test”

Per the HR pro, these tests can include:

1. The ‘wobbly chair’ test
   In this scenario, Říhová says, a candidate sits down on their interview chair only to find it’s unsteady. Whether or not the interviewee switches out the chair for another one “could be seen as a sign of confidence and decisiveness,” she said. 
2. The ‘coffee cup’ test
   The expert told us that some employers check whether a potential hire brings their empty coffee cups to the kitchen. “It’s a small gesture, but some see it as a sign of politeness and initiative.”
3. The ‘glass of water’ test
   Something as trivial as how you drink water might be more closely-monitored than you realise, she says. “Drinking it at a normal pace could signal confidence while declining it or downing it too quickly could suggest the opposite!” 
4. The Rubik’s cube, or jigsaw, test
   This might be easier to spot than the others, Říhová said, but it can still confuse candidates because it feels like they’re being asked to do an impossible task at the drop of a hat. 

   “Don’t panic! You’re not actually expected to solve it,” she told us. “This one is all about observing how you approach a challenge rather than whether you can complete it.”

Aren’t all these tests a bit of a red flag?

A YourTango article about the wobbly chair tactic has outraged some Redditors, with commenters writing: “stupid fucking games.”

Others said that in situations like these, “The interviewer is not trying to get to know you, but create evidence for a decision that they have probably already made but don’t want to admit to themselves.” 

HuffPost UK asked Říhová whether she thinks these tests are a bad sign from a potential manager (after all, we’re not sure what bearing your water-drinking style has on your ability to lead an IT team). 

“Companies that use these tests might be trying to learn about your authentic personality, outside of how you come across at the interview,” the HR expert said.

“But it might also suggest that they are not conducting interviews in a totally open way,” she added. 

“While these tests might help employers look out for traits they want in their team members – like confidence, initiative or a polite manner that could help them deal with stakeholders – they don’t actually reveal anything about your skills and experience.” 

It’s important to remember that the company has to impress you, too, she says. 

“If you suspect you’re being tested in this way, the best thing you can do is just be your normal, polite self and don’t worry about it too much or let it throw you off your game,” Říhová advised – but after the interview, consider how it made you feel about “the company culture and their hiring processes.”