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?

We need to know if she gets the job.

Personally I think it shows initiative : they'll definitely remember her!

Unlikely to hinder the decision of hiring if she was the most qualified for the job. My opinion might be influenced by my love of cake

I would be cringing as I was munching on the cake

OP, we really NEED top know whether she got the job. After all the criticism, I can imagine all MNetters baking like mad for their next interview.

I doubt anyone actually ate the cake?

Weird how you wouldn't eat it from someone you were interviewing (not a common occurrence obv!), but would probably if a new employee brought one in.

Op did she bake a jumper in the cake?

All this cringing over a bit of battenburg. To paraphrase Shaun of the Dead, will everyone just calm.the.fuck.down.

I hope cakecolleague has the necessary qualifications and gets the job.

Why are they all so bad at presentations Crumbs?

It's not always people who are bad at presentations, it's the fact that even when you've watched the same presentation 4 times in a row, it makes anyone want to lose the will to live!

At first I was thinking "No, terrible idea" but by the time I'd reached the end of the thread I was thinking "well.... it's different and shows a lot of confidence..."

Not something I would do personally though. I don't think it screams stereotype or 1950s or bribery. For a public sector organisation, it won't make a difference to her scores for performance if she ticks all the boxes but if someone else interviews equally well it may give her the edge. At my place it definitely would

I hope she gets the job.

I wonder what cake lady would think if she saw this thread. Probably that we are all jealous bitches .

My cousin had a panel interview and brought in cookies and coffee. I thought it was out there, but awesome. She lives in the US though so suspect things may be different there. However she didn't get the job, so maybe it wasn't helpful.

I brought along sweets to my new team when I went along for an informal getting to know you session before starting the new role. I hope that was okay?

I am really curious what cakes they were

I posted a picture of them Sat 29-Apr-17 19:08:50

Some presentations are good but they're not allowed any props - no PowerPoint, no flip,charts just stand and deliver. Some have the ability to engage and deliver a reasonable presentation on incredibly boring topic - think sustainable strategic plans - but lots dont. They just read a script or try to baffle us with big words and no real understanding of what they are saying. I think we usually appoint about 1:12 who get to interview stage. Cake would le definitely assist. Happy with carrot, chocolate, lemon drizzle (prefer it not to be apple and sardine) and we would eat it.

'I wouldn't eat it' made me laugh

Yy crumbs, the worst interview presentations are the 'know it all' style with know nothing substance!

That and the name droppers!

PicardsCombOver nice little father Ted reference there

Had to be done Sparkly

Read the whole thread, agree with PP that details are needed.

Type of cake, container, the panels reaction...

The Ask A Manager blog has a few articles about stuff like this - I think it was recommended as a quirky thing to stand out by some job advice websites. She's pretty down on it! It's from a US perspective but it's pretty interesting www.askamanager.org/2013/06/a-job-applicant-stopped-by-with-a-plant-and-candy.html

Haven't read through the thread fully, but it is very odd. I've conducted dozens of interviews, some of which have been for candidates that came across as a bit strange. However I've always put that down to nervousness and fed back appropriately. Turning up with a cake would be off the scale strange.

Can't wait to hear if she got the job and if not, what feedback she got from the interview.

Bringing cake to an interview, never. But to work is fine and I think those claiming women should never do this are being a bit extreme. I took homemade cake to our last team meeting. The only issue this caused what my high level male colleague in his 50s being briefly disappointed because he was planning to bring cake in! We agreed that he'd bring the cake to the next one instead. I appreciate that this depends a lot on your office culture, but not everyone sees providing cake as a female thing.

Wrong ( unless it's job as a baker!)

Does anyone remember in this years Apprentice when the lady who wanted to set up a cupcake business brought in some samples to her interviews? Claude absolutely slaughtered her for it, but the lady interviewer really liked it and had a taste of them. But only really worked as that was the product she was trying to sell.

If this was a job in social marketing or somwthing I have seen it done some put landish and some what "creative" cvs done in little care package gift box type things.

But I think thats the only type of jov they exspect this type of thing

It was a Victoria sponge...

Taken in Tupperware yes with a note and decorations.

I don't know if it was eaten.