Did Henry Ford Reject Job Candidates For Using Salt and Pepper?

Is the Henry Ford legend about lunch interviews true? Yes, and here's why.

This is something I've heard about for many years.  Joe Burridge wrote about this back in 2016 on the LinkedIn Talent Blog,

Henry Ford would observe if a candidate put salt on their food before tasting it. If they did, they wouldn’t get the job. Why? According to him, this simple act reveals that the candidate is a poor decision maker and doesn’t evaluate situations before taking action.

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This seems extreme.  And it is.  However, testing was a very high priority for carmaker Henry Ford.  His train of thought was likely, "If you're not testing your food before adding salt, you probably won't test a product before putting it in production."

Lifelong Michigan resident, Henry Ford was taught by the best.  According to Ford's website, he was not just friends with Thomas Edison.  Edison was a lifelong mentor to Ford.  Henry Ford built his first Ford in 1896.  He built the Quadricycle...frame, motor, and all.  He went on to create the Ford Motor Company in 1903.

Henry Ford is also famous for creating the first moving assembly line for an entire vehicle according to history.com.  Michigan has had the benefit of many firsts.

Michigan was the first state to have...

• The first paved road in North America.
• The first 3 tunnels in the world.
• The first phone numbers.

So, how was the founder of the Ford Motor Company living?  By the looks of his summer home, he was keeping things fairly modest.