Bupa CEO Iñaki Ereño holds six-hour interviews
Iñaki Ereño, CEO of the international healthcare company Bupa, conducts interviews that last a total of six hours and consist of three separate meetings. He believes that a standard one-hour conversation is insufficient to assess a person and reduce the number of hiring mistakes, Fortune reports.
Three stages of selection
The first two-hour meeting is devoted to a detailed discussion of the candidate’s résumé. The second stage takes place at a restaurant during breakfast or lunch. There, Ereño pays attention to the interviewee’s behavior outside a formal office environment, including body language, confidence and attitude toward staff.
According to the Bupa chief, it is fundamentally important to him how a candidate communicates with waiters. He expects applicants to treat restaurant employees with respect.
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Ordering a drink as an indicator of initiative
Ereño also assesses whether a person is able to make simple decisions independently. He gave an example: if he orders water himself, a candidate may ask for a glass of wine without adapting to the other person’s choice. In his opinion, this may indicate confidence and initiative.
The third two-hour meeting takes place at the office and concerns the candidate’s personal interests, expectations of working at Bupa and vision for the company. Bupa operates in 190 countries, has more than 100,000 employees and reported revenue of £18.2 billion in 2025.
