The benefits of open house interviews

Last week I attended an open house at I Love Rewards in Toronto. At first, the process of open house recruiting was both foreign and slightly daunting to me, but after spending two and half hours mingling with the team and other hopeful candidates, I left their offices with both a new level of enthusiasm for I Love Rewards and a list of reasons why other companies should adopt the open house recruiting process.

After submitting my resumé online, I received an email invitation to an open house, so I RSVP’ed to the event and prepared myself the best I could. I put on my ‘first date’ attire, grabbed a copy of my resumé and headed down to the I Love Rewards offices. Once I arrived at their swanky loft-style offices, I registered with staff at the front desk and was handed a time card based on the position that I had applied for. I was then offered a closet to hang my coat and ushered through to the main area where I would wait my turn to be ‘speed interviewed.’

The whole process was a great experience and more companies should adopt the open house recruiting concept; it is a win/win situation for both the hiring company and the candidate. As I Love Rewards founder and CEO Razor Suleman said in conversation with me, “We receive so many resumés that we can’t possibly go through them all, but by having an open house we eliminate the first round of applicants; if you can be bothered to get dressed and come out then that says something about you.”

On top of eliminating the first round of applicants, the process also allows many more benefits to both the company and candidate. Not only is the process seemingly cost-effective for the company, but it also allows for a second round of applicant elimination. By meeting candidates face-to-face it allows the company to weed out the overly fluffed resumés and potentially pick up on candidates that would otherwise have been put in the recycling bin.

For the candidate, benefits include: the ability to learn hands on about the company’s product or services, a feel for the company culture and the chance to interact with current employees.

Although standing in a room full of people competing for the same position can be somewhat intimidating, it can actually be quite beneficial. In speaking with other hopefuls, I was able not only to get a sense of where I thought I stood by comparison, but also gain insight into areas in which I could improve to surpass the competition and up my chances of getting hired.

There is also something strangely satisfying about attending an open house. As a job seeker, it can get very frustrating sending your resumé into what begins to feel like a vortex of nothingness. An open house can serve not only as recognition that someone has noticed you (something I Love Rewards knows all about), but can also give you the will to continue on in the job search once you hit the wall of frustration. It makes you realise that you’re not necessarily unqualified or being ignored, but that companies really do receive an awful lot of resumés.