Dave Kline, who spent nearly a decade in senior recruitment and C-suite roles at the world’s largest hedge fund, calls it the “(Un)popularity Contest.” And it’s one of five tests he used to separate high performers from everyone else.
“Have they walked away from something safe for something risky?” David Kline just wrote on X, adding that is the answer is no they don’t get hired because “they’ve never actually bet on themselves.”
In his eyes, not only does that reveal their level of self-assurance, but also whether someone can drown out the noise and trust their own instincts when everyone around them is telling them they’re wrong. “You want someone who’s survived feeling alone before,” Kline added.
So he’d specifically ask hundreds of Bridgewater candidates what they walked away from in search of what he calls “A-players who make sh*t happen.” And now he’s telling other CEOs to do the same as an executive coach.
The other four tests the ex-Bridgewater Associates exec used to weed out low performers
Kline left Bridgewater Associates in 2020 and later founded his own executive coaching company, MGMT. Now, he’s sharing his career and management advice across social media—and he wrote that “the harsh truth” is that traditional interviews simply don’t help managers find go-getters.
“Most interviews are designed to find people who comply,” he said. “Then we wonder why nobody takes initiative.” So his 5 tests are designed to weed out the assertive and resourceful candidates from the rest.
- Have they taken a contrarian stance that was later proven correct? “If No… you’re hiring someone who requires direction and waits for consensus,” Kline said. “The best people see something before everyone else agrees it’s true. And they act on it anyway.”
- Have they endured something that would’ve made most people quit? “If No… you don’t know their ceiling yet,” he wrote. “Everyone looks capable when things are easy. You’re hiring for the version of them that shows up when it’s not.”
- When they hit a wall with no roadmap, no budget, and no permission, what did they do? “If the answer is ‘tap out’… that’s your answer,” Kline added. “High agency people don’t ask if it’s possible. They get creative to figure out how.”
- Do they go deep on something with nobody pushing them to? “If No… they only go deep when it’s required,” he said. “The best people can’t switch it off. They don’t go down rabbit holes. They live in them.”
His advice: ask candidates to teach you something they’re passionate about, and watch what happens.
Kline’s tests join a growing list of unconventional interview tactics that CEOs and recruiters alike have been using to sort through the thousands of applications they’re being spammed with thanks to AI.
Twilio CEO Khozema Shipchandler interviews senior candidates specifically for 45-minute dinners—he’s watching how they conduct themselves off the clock while also listening for one word in particular. Say “I” too much and it signals you’re not a team player.
Meanwhile, Iñaki Ereño, CEO of the healthcare giant Bupa, sits candidates through 6 hours of tests and even wants to see them order wine with their meal because he believes it shows they have initiative.
One boss won’t hire anyone who fails his coffee cup test—judging candidates on whether they carry their empty cup back to the kitchen. Another quietly watches how job seekers handle the salt, pepper, and hot sauce test during lunch interviews.
Steve Jobs, meanwhile, was known for a version of his own: the beer test, used to gauge whether he’d actually want to grab a drink with a potential hire.
About the Author
