“There’s nothing that levels the playing field like two people sitting on bean bags. You can’t act ‘professional’ on a bean bag. You can’t use big words and marketing speak. You just have to act like a normal person. I love that.”

I love this point. It’s so true. I can’t think of a better way to strip away the fluff and level the playing field for an interview.

to this day i can’t say how i feel about that. I sat in the big comfy chair, but i also have an ego the size of a house, and am not intimidated in an interview process… what i can tell you is, most people choose the uncomfortable wooden chair. So maybe the question should be, “how can you be comfortable in a big comfy chair when interviewing for a new job?”

well, I love those bean bags :)
(was fun to see one of your team guys (sorry, I forget who it was now) diving into them when you did your live mobile clips a few weeks ago…)

I think the idea of putting everyone on the same level here is great, especially for interviews. Being a freelancer I have not been to many interviews but I know I would have loved to be interviewed sitting on bean bag. I don’t think this is ‘trying too hard to be different’ or anything like that at all – I would see it as very much in keeping with the vibe you guys give out and I would think it will be a successful way of finding the right personality to fit your team.

I disagree with @johnnyh about the suit/formal dress code for interviews or general client meetings overall. If you are a formal dress person – you will feel comfortable and be yourself, then great. However, if you are not – then putting on a formal outfit for a specific meeting will not really give out the right impression as you are less likely to feel comfortable in yourself and you might not come across very favorably. Personally, I’d rather be me (wearing what I like even if I look a bit little a hippie) and my experience with companies and clients alike has been only positive (so far, anyway).

Keep up the great work…

http://mediasnackers.com/report/2008/03/mediasnackers-recruitment-day-1.php

Most of the people attended twittered the experience and we also live-flickrd it as well – think that’s a first :-)

I used to have fun when I did interviews too. I’d always interview with another person, but never a “panel”.

My co-interviewer and I would rehearse questions like they were a script so that we’d know them backward and forward, and then conduct the interview like a conversation with the goal of getting a feel for how people felt about the industry and what their personalities are like.

We also used to throw in some great (I think) questions like “what kind of person drives you nuts?” and “tell us about a time you had a fight with a friend in your childhood”.

Bean bags are a nice idea but I feel a slob when I sit on them. I would say that an interview is important for both candidate and employer. After all it could change your life. I wouldn’t refuse the bean bag, but I think there are aspects of the process which would be better conducted in a more formal(-ish) setting.

If I went to a doctor and he was sitting on a bean bag I’m not sure I’d feel more relaxed about the diagnosis.

I like the challenging of the interview orthodoxy but sometimes it can be a case of being “too wacky”. I think there’s scope for being relaxed without setting out overtly physical signs. If your business is really relaxed that would come accross in your interview style, your maner and how you put people at ease.

I’m expect RC would be a relaxed interviewer but I don’t think that would be because of the bean bags.

@Kyle – It depends on if your computers are right next to the chalkboard. If they’re not very close, it shouldn’t be a problem. We don’t have any machines in our meeting room.

@Kyle – It depends on if your computers are right next to the chalkboard. If they’re not very close, it shouldn’t be a problem. We don’t have any machines in our meeting room.

A semi-related question; I’ve raised the idea of painting the walls of the same small room with chalkboard paint, but MGMT is worried about chalk dust affecting computers. Have you found this to be an issue?

I think the black paint looks quite nice.

I like how much importance you are giving to the culture of your business. That is one of the most important things. And given your business, the causal/fun approach seems appropiate.

For interviews, I really like to test communication skills, like submitting a writing sample and giving a presentation. Being able to communicate well is so central to everything.

Chris