AI is, unfortunately, a mainstay of the job application process nowadays. However, just when I thought I’d seen it all, I saw a TikTok of a user who had to do a quiz with bright blue people in order to apply for…a server job at Olive Garden.
The company behind this quiz is called Traitify. And, good news, it’s not just Olive Garden using it for hiring! According to 404 Media, FedEx, McDonald’s, and Darden Restaurants as a whole are using the quizzes. They’re also a mainstay on the subreddit r/RecruitingHell.
So, I decided to see what the process was like for myself. I went to the Olive Garden website and clicked apply for a dishwasher job in Florida. I then began talking with a chatbot called “Olivia” (my “personal Olive Garden job assistant”) to fill out my basic information. Olivia then emailed me an application form, which I filled out with my job history, confirmed my right to work, and so on.
“Maybe this is just a TikTok exaggeration,” I thought, before I was emailed a link to an “assessment.”
It was here that I was introduced to “Ash,” my non-binary alien proxy for the quiz. “For each image, simply click ‘Me’ if the image describes how you generally are and ‘Not Me’ if it does not,” the instructions read. And remember: “Answer honestly.”
Now, I admittedly fell somewhat short of the “honesty” ideal in the interest of trying to answer in what I thought was the most hireable way. Take this prompt, “That’s Too Much Work.” Not to me, Olive Garden! No such thing as Too Much Work! I’d like more work, please!
Then there were the “emotional stability” prompts, like “Tend to Feel Sad” or “Ups and Downs.” This is 100% Not Me — my two emotions are “Happy” and “Happy at Olive Garden.”
Indeed, there were lots of prompts that I couldn’t quite gauge the relevance of. Take this one: “Skydiving.”
Or “Wearing Costumes.” Like, I go to Comic-Con and cosplay, but I’m not like, wearing costumes on the regular. If I say “Me,” will you be able to understand this nuance, Olive Garden? I’m not a total weirdo, I promise!
Remember that this is a job assessment to become a dish washer.
This went on for SO long.
At least the art was immaculate throughout.
The eagle-eyed among you have likely guessed that this is a personality test, specifically based on the “Big Five” model. They’re certainly not new in the world of hiring, but they are controversial. Luckily, I didn’t have to wait long for my Olive Garden Personality results: I’m a “mentor.”
At the same moment that I was sent the results, I was sent another piece of news: That I met Olive Garden’s “minimum qualifications” and could schedule an in-person interview.
