Would drinking alcohol (when offered) during a meal that is part of an interview be likely to affect the perceptions of the interviewer?

Question

A lengthy interview included lunch at a restaurant with one of the managers who had been interviewing me. The company with whom I was interviewing provides management consulting and other services for its clients. Something I didn't realize at the time was that the company is known for entertaining - including boozing up - their clients.

When ordering lunch, the interviewer stated that he was going to have a glass of wine with his meal and stated that I could have that or a beer if I wanted. While I'm not a teetotaler and could have handled one drink, I feared that imbibing during the interview could be taken wrong, so I declined and ordered a soft drink.

Is drinking on an interview like this a bad idea? Or could it be the whole lunch and offer of a drink was to show me what would be expected of me if I was hired and to see if I would fit in?

Answer 1

Is drinking on an interview like this a bad idea?

No. If your interviewer ordered an alcoholic drink that's a fairly clear signal that it's acceptable at this company to enjoy an alcoholic beverage during lunch. In this case he even told you as much.

While (light!) alcohol consumption is perfectly acceptable in all the cultures and companies I've experienced, this isn't universally true. Because of that, during an interview you probably never want to take the initiative to order an alcoholic drink because you normally don't know enough about the company's culture. Alcohol is also typically more expensive but as long as you're not ordering champagne that shouldn't be an issue.

But if your business contact ordered an alcoholic drink himself, and especially if they come right out and say that it's fine to order beer or wine, then you should take them at their word. This goes for all meetings with clients or interviewers and it's typically the person paying (interviewer) or with the highest status (client) that would decide on this.

Or could it be the whole lunch and offer of a drink was to show me what would be expected of me if I was hired and to see if I would fit in?

It could be, but it's bloody unlikely. I have heard of stranger hiring rituals and other inane tests so you can never rule this out, but I can say that no well-run company will do or permit such a practice.

If there is indeed a culture of drinking that is likely to play a role in your job, good interviewers or hiring managers will tell you that that's the case and ask for your thoughts on that. They won't craft secret tests and silently judge you on your reaction.

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It's always fine to decline an offer of alcohol, in any context. Most interviewers are used to candidates passing on alcohol, typically because they don't want to dull their concentration. Only the most boorish and uncultured folk will look down on you for choosing not to drink alcohol.

There are some obvious exceptions to this rule but you'll know if you're in such a situation. There is still a strong after-work drinking culture in Japan for instance. I've known a brewing conglomerates that had a "beer lady" instead of a "coffee lady" doing rounds in the office every afternoon. The company kept that practice in place until well into the 21^st century but I wouldn't call them a good role model.

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Alison Green, whom I frequently quote in my answers here actually disagrees with me on this to a certain extent in her article about accepting a drink during an interview. The main reason she gives is that "this is not the time to lower your inhibitions or mellow out with a drink. You want to be at your absolute best, and you don’t want to impact your judgment at all." I do agree with her on that and certainly if you know that you're likely to be affected negatively in any way by even minor alcohol consumption then you should avoid drinking alcohol in situations where you need to be at your best.

But you're asking about how it will affect you as a candidate. Alison also weighs in on that and quotes a 2012 study from the Journal of Consumer Psychology called "The imbibing idiot bias: Consuming alcohol can be hazardous to your (perceived) intelligence". Given that the article felt the need to create the colourful term "imbibing idiot bias" which has less than a 1000 search engine hits, that the Journal seems largely unknown, that the study is, as far as I can tell, not properly peer-reviewed, and the language they use in their abstract, I'm quite doubtful about the value of their conclusions.

Answer 2

There are two possibilities.

1. It was OK for you to say yes, and OK for you to say no. You said no, which is OK.

2. It was not OK for you to say yes, or it was not OK for you to say no. In this case, you were, frankly, being set up to fail and that's a big reason not to want to work there. If that turned out to be the deciding factor in you not getting the job, you just dodged a bullet.

Answer 3

I declined and ordered a soft drink.

Is drinking on an interview like this a bad idea? Or could it be the whole lunch and offer of a drink was to show me what would be expected of me if I was hired and to see if I would fit in?

While having one glass of wine or one beer probably would have been okay, you chose to take the cautious approach, and that will almost certainly be just fine. It's likely the path I would have chosen as well. In interviews, I prefer not to eat unless circumstances make it necessary, and I strongly prefer not to drink. That's just me.

In an interview, you want to have your wits as sharp as possible. You don't want to get sleepy. And above all you don't want to get buzzed - not even a little bit.

Everyone has a different tolerance for alcohol, and virtually all interviewers will understand that and not hold it against you if you choose soda. Even if they did hold it against you, would you really want to work for someone that considers it a negative if you choose not to have an alcoholic beverage? What if the interviewer had a three martini lunch habit and usually went back to work buzzed? Is that the kind of place you'd want to fit in?

I've worked for companies who expected their sales people to "booze up" their clients in certain circumstances. Even in those cases, I know of effective sales folks who didn't drink themselves. They were able to graciously handle purchasing drinks for their clients, while sticking with sodas or water.

I think you'll be just fine. I wouldn't be worried about it.

Answer 4

Or could it be the whole lunch and offer of a drink was to show me what would be expected of me if I was hired and to see if I would fit in?

That sounds like the right answer to me. Whether you ordered or consumed alcohol probably wasn't nearly as important as your reaction to the offer.

I see only two possible mistakes someone could make -

1. Play the part of a shocked and offended teetotaler.
2. Drink too much.

I suspect you did fine.

Answer 5

I'm seeing a lot of people treat this as a test or argue you don't want to work for someone that tests you etc. The reality is "fit" is important, and the interviewer probably wasn't even thinking s/he was testing you.

These kinds of signals are very subtle. From what you describe, I wouldn't be surprised if some people end up thinking "This guy isn't very much fun" or "He seems kind of stiff. I'm not sure he'd loosen up around clients." Any hesitation at all could have swung the pendulum one way or another.

In my case, if an interviewer was drinking and asked me if I wanted wine or beer, I'd probably just accept a beer without a second thought. After all, I don't have to chug it down and I'm fine with just drinking a bit with my food. As advice, I'd suggest you can always accept and not drink the whole thing. For most people, it's just a social thing and they just want you to join in on whatever activity they are doing (drinking alcohol in this case).

Answer 6

It is hard to say exactly what the interviewer was looking for. I suspect that he may have wanted to make sure you could drink responsibly, and handle a moderate amount of alcohol while still being able to act professionally. Part of the job will be doing your job while consuming alcohol, but you still need to be able to act professionally, and communicate with your clients. He may have even wanted to see how you would react to being pressed to drink more than you should have. So yes it is probably the right move to accept the first drink. From there you have to feel what the right move is, but never so much as to let your actions become compromised by alcohol.

This is nonsense. A job should not depend on having a drink. How about a religious person that is against their religion. How about a person on medication? How about an alcoholic. They cannot work for this company?

Not all people are suited for all jobs. And while this role is not suited to someone who is not going to be able to drink alcohol I am sure there are other roles that would not require partying with clients. This is a specific role that has this requirement.

Every bad drunk that I know believes that they are great at handling their alcohol. So just asking the question is liable to mean you end up hiring quite a few people that are not able to handle their alcohol and may embarrass your company. For this reason I would thing it is important to make sure that any candidates for such a position were not the type to get stupid drunk off one or two drinks, able to remain professional, and able to stop drinking before they become inebriated.

Answer 7

As long as (a) it was offered by your host, (b) you want to drink said beverage, (c) you don't drink more than your host, and (d) you drink only moderately (I'd considet the standard "one drink an hour" rule so you're detoxifying about as fast as you're drinking -- remember that you need to be alert for the interview), I don't think you'll do yourself any harm by accepting one beer or one cup of wine.

I also don't think you'll do yourself any harm if you say "Thanks, but I never developed a taste for the stuff; I'd rather just drink soda or water" or "I'm not in the mood for [more] beer but don't let me stop you". Anyone who will take offense at your not drinking more heavily on duty -- and an interview is definitely "on duty" -- is probably not someone you want to work for.

Even if they are the Philosophy department of the University of Wallamaloo. (Monty Python "Bruces")

Answer 8

This was an informal interview for an entry level position were talking about here. Im assuming the company isn't one of the big 4, and your a recent college grad so I can understand the anxious uncertainty that goes along with your first round of "real job" interviews.

But trust me, they could care less if the hundredth other new hire making 42k/year boozes it up. Your only real responsibilities will be endless data mining thats been delegated down the line to the eager recent undergrad grad who hasn't figured out the structure of the office politics yet. I worked for HPMG after graduating so I can tell you first hand that making the right friends and how you get along with the people in office is much more important. They are looking for an out going person, with a at least some sense of humor - being uptight and socially appearing to have Asperger will get you cut.

As long as your not the office drunk just relax and be yourself when it comes to these type of job interviews. Now, if you were interviewing with a private equity/cap. investment/hedge fund company I would dial it up, and mentally prepare for 60hr workweeks where you have to be a machine. All you need to know for now is your excel formulas, and pivot tables and your set lol.

It will only get easier from here.