Taking cakes to job interview

[onesupplied]

My lovely friend had a job interview last week. Very large organisation, likely to be a strongly structured interview. I asked her how it went and she said well, and that she had baked a cake and taken it along to the interview.

AIBU to think that this has more likely hindered rather than helped her application?

Is this ever a done thing?

Just 😂😂

And also very intrigued as to the logistics and the Tupperware sitch. Maybe it was strategic so she HAS to go back for her Tupperware and maybe for a second interview? 😂 sort of doubt it!

She might have donated the Tupperware to the school as well! Quelle horreur!

I need to know about the container! I mean if she took a non-disposable variety that shows confidence 'I will collect my container when I start work' but if she took disposable that surely is a bit 'if I don't get the job you're not keeping my tupperware' shows a lack of confidence I'd say. I would never be so reckless with my cake box as to take it somewhere and leave it there, whatever the circumstances

Actually, after the first four hours of boring, repetitive interviewees pouring out same presentation, I'd look kindly on someone ballsy entombing a cake.

Crumbs has a point. If the interview was early and one of the first of the day, they'll probably have thought she was batshit. If it was a late afternoon interview and she was one of the last candidates of the day they may have been grateful and glad of a bit of batshit to break up the monotony.

I am becoming curious about these "normal" interviews.

I may regret asking this but wouldn't it be better if you just chatted about the job until you had a gut feeling about whether they'd be useful to have around?

Everyone could just have a bit of cake, or not.

"If we start work at 13.00hrs and our manager is in she will more often thann not have made lunch for us in our handover session"

How does she know what you want to eat? I find that really odd. Tea and coffee are completely different

We are a small informal team,we are not in an office or shop or anything like that, she knows us well and it's usually something like soup with toaste cheese or a salad or something. We all appreciate it. It's not everyday but when she's around and gets chance.

Our interviews are horrendsly structured. A written exercise, a role play, a 20 minute presentation and 6 Competency based questions.

After four wooden candidates who read from cue cards, a cake and bonkers would be very well received.

She can bake me one if she likes!

Crumbs,

The cake would be a useful alternative to gnawing off your own foot in a desperate bid to make it end.

Do you end up with amazing staff after all this?

I may regret asking this but wouldn't it be better if you just chatted about the job until you had a gut feeling about whether they'd be useful to have around?

Sometimes I think so, yes, especially since you'll have their CV in front of you. However, it's fairer on everybody if you have a job description and person specification and assess everybody in the same way according to whether or not they fit those things.

That said, I've known people make some truly dreadful appointments and I do wonder if they would have been avoided by asking the simple question "do I remotely like this person". Apparently Timpsons use Mr Men personality assessments on the basis that you can train someone to operate a till but you cannot train them to be nice to customers if they are in fact a bit of a wankbadger.

Mr Men as in mr Happy, etc?

Our interviews are horrendsly structured. A written exercise, a role play, a 20 minute presentation and 6 Competency based questions

I've been through a process like that, for a part-time admin role in a council. They turned me down. Apparently when they asked about time management I'd failed to mention I'd have used Outlook. It just seemed obvious and so I forgot. They phoned me up the next day and said that actually the person they offered it to, who had accepted, had changed her mind and did I want the job. I said no.

One of the 6 competency questions wasn't "are you really sure you want to make a 100 mile round trip on rural roads for a part time job? And if not, are you going to move". Which was why candidate number 1 had a rethink. Me, I just decided it wasn't the right role for me and much as I wanted to pay the rent, I'd be better finding something else.

Yes, reawakening, as in the Roger Hargreaves characters. Honestly, it wasn't even April 1.

The problem with recruiting someone you like in interview is that you end up with a bias as you pick someone like yo. This is detrimental to minority groups and women

In my industry (veterinary) it seems to be totally normal for candidates on a trial day to bring in cake - and definitely very appreciated - but I wouldn't for an initial interview, no. Only after building up a bit of rapport with potential colleagues or if I already knew some of the staff (it's a small world in my area of work!)

Omg this Is so so cringe ......

"The problem with recruiting someone you like in interview is that you end up with a bias as you pick someone like yo. This is detrimental to minority groups and women"

ok.

So how is the present system working out as regards that?

I completely agree regarding that point about recruiting someone that you like. There's a term for it, and I can't remember it, but it's something to do with employing people that are like you.

I'm quite saddened by the number of people who think demonstrating 'looking after' people in an office environment is a work attribute.

News flash: it's not. You should generally be respectful and courteous to your colleagues. You do not need to bring them baked goods, curries , knitted squares or otherwise to elevate the professional environment.

Work is work. Treat your colleagues as they prefer to be treated. Keep your non-professional activities to home.

reawakeningambition in my industry we call it 'unconscious bias '

"Unconscious bias" is slightly different isn't it? There's the similarity effect in choosing people like you. Unconscious bias is more about picking up on prejudices within society and acting on them without being consciously aware of it. E.g. both men and women judge the CVs of women more harshly than those of men. It's not necessarily deliberate sexism but we're so used to seeing women portrayed in particular ways that we tend to assume they're less competent.

Large public sector and structured interview might save her as they will only be able to grade her on her answers to the competency questions and can't - as many of the people on this thread hurling round the word 'unprofessional' would do - dismiss her on a faux pas.

Do we get good people? On the whole, yes. The odd one slips through but more commonly people come back for a second, third or even fourth rejection. We're a very good employer with relatively high salaries and good conditions for public sector.
Imagine sitting through exactly the same wooden presentation by the same person wringing their hands and not making eye contact. Then think how refreshing a cake baker might be.

I make cake for the team pretty often, doesn't mean they view me as the 'mum' and only give me the 'female' work, I'm the search manager and they do as I ask and don't question my professionalism just because I like to bake for them! (And cake is very much appreciated after hrs out in the dark, cold and rain!) but I admit that's not an office based admin role interview