A job interview can be a stressful experience. You’re bombarded with a lot of questions – and you do your best to answer them to give you a good chance of getting the job – and don’t make a fool of yourself. However, few of us endured the extreme interview as these job candidates. In an unusual method of recruitment, the boss interviewed candidates in the back seat of an M5 competition at 110mph on a racetrack.
‘Hot Lap’ job interviews in the back of the BMW M5 Competition at Cadwell Park Racecourse
Big Motoring World, a UK used car company, is aiming to fill vacancies for Sales Executive roles. For the interview, the agent wanted to do something unique—a method that would really test the candidate’s involvement.
Mid-size luxury sports sedan. It features a 617-horsepower 4.4-liter twin-turbo V8 – with 0 to 60 mph in just 2.8 seconds.
As detailed before, the intense interviews took place in the M5 competition at Cadwell Park Racecourse in Lincolnshire, England. Cadwell Park has dramatic peaks and dips – with steep gradient changes. Also, with its combination of curves and corners, it earned the nickname “Mini-Nürburgring”, named after the Nürburgring circuit in Germany.
The favorites endured two high-speed laps of the M5: ‘I feel like I’m going to vomit’
A YouTube video shows job candidates wearing helmets while still wearing their work clothes. Mitchell interviewed the candidates in the back of his BMW M5 Competition – while high performance driver Sid North took him around the curves and corners of the Cadwell Park racetrack.
North certainly wasn’t held back by the presence of the interviewees. Drive at speeds of up to 110 mph. North also drifted into the corners with the M5 Competition at 70mph. In addition, he managed to shrink six seconds from his previous time at Cadwell Park – finishing in 1:48.26, compared to 1:54.13 his previous time at the track.
As they strolled the track, the candidates shrieked and swore in horror – while dutifully answering their would-be boss’ questions. At times, job seekers struggled to answer questions, feeling the M5’s extreme power while driving at high speeds and making sharp turns.
Some of the candidates seemed to be thoroughly enjoying the intense experience, including cheering on North as he drove the luxury ultra-high-performance car. However, one of them said, “I feel like I’m going to throw up.” However, they all survived two laps around the racetrack.
You are all set!
In a normal interview, if you have difficulty answering questions, chances are you won’t get the job. However, Mitchell was impressed with how well the candidates handled themselves. As a result, he hired the four of them on the spot.
Ben Goodwin, Director of Sales at Big Motoring World, explains why dealership interviews are such an unusual BMW M5 Competition. He was also pleased with the results.
“One of the most important attributes of an ideal candidate is their ability to perform under pressure,” Goodwin said. He continued, “We wanted to give our candidates a challenge that mixes pressure with fun and we’re pleased with how it turned out. Everyone had a chance to prove themselves in a challenging environment, something we hope will help in their new roles. We are happy to say that they all went through with flying colors.”
