Assumptions
Assumption
Thomas Edison
Few people in American history have the reputation of Thomas Edison, a prolific inventor and entrepreneur, whose work still widely impacts most people around the world to this day. What were the secrets to his incredible success? It turns out one of them was a unique requirement he had for prospective new employees that they eat a bowl of soup in front of him before they’d be considered for a job.
During his lifetime (1847–1931), Edison obtained a jaw-dropping 1,093 patents. Among his innovations were early versions of light bulbs (although he did not invent the light bulb), the phonograph, movie cameras and alkaline storage batteries. However, he couldn’t do it all himself and had a large and talented staff through the years in his research labs. Accordingly, he had to make sure he was getting the right people.
Edison liked to be personally involved in choosing staff. When new positions opened for research jobs at his labs he was there to give the candidates a thorough vetting. He came to find a favorite method for finding the right people was by offering them a bowl of soup and then watching them eat it.
The reason for this soup test was that the famous inventor wanted to see if the applicants added salt and pepper before tasting what was in their bowl, or if they waited until they tasted it before proceeding with the seasoning. Edison immediately rejected the premature seasoners, as he reasoned he didn’t want employees who relied on assumptions. In his opinion, those who were content to abide by preconceived notions had no place in his business because the absence of curiosity and willingness to ask questions were antithetical to innovation.
Make no mistake about it, this was not a situation where a candidate was interviewed in an office and inexplicably had a bowl of soup thrust in front of them. Instead, they were typically invited out for a meal and soup would be ordered for those present, putting the applicant on the spot to unwittingly show their true colors by how they went at the starter. As Edison once said, “Just because something doesn’t do what you planned it to do doesn’t mean it’s useless.”
For Edison, the best employees were those whose second nature it was to be consistent with how they approached life. If they showed impatience or a rush to judgment in eating, imagine the damage they could potentially cause with the many projects they would be entrusted to develop and bring to fruition.
Soup wasn’t the only obstacle job applicants had to deal with when it came to Edison. He also wanted to have a general idea of the level of intelligence he was considering hiring. Accordingly, he liked to ask candidates trivia questions of such random nature as where prunes came from, what exactly is felt and who invented printing.
While they may have been a bit out of the ordinary, it seems that Edison’s methods for finalizing who he wanted to hire worked well for him. His record of innovation speaks for itself. Next time you are interviewing for a job and being provided a meal, just remember that the little things do count, so be careful about how and when you salt and pepper your food, and of course make sure to use the right fork.
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