Interviewing in coffee shops is a no-no, there are better alternatives

Recently, I reflected on The Most Dangerous Questions that Interviewers Ask, after overhearing part of an interview being conducted at the next table in a local coffee shop. This article prompted a Briefly Noted reader to write, “I have seen job interviews in coffee shops and I always think, “Isn’t there another place you could do that?”

Yes, there is. In fact, there are some easily accessed alternatives.

Interviews should never be conducted “in public.” Words intended for the interviewer’s ears only might be overheard by coffee shop patrons at nearby tables. Other people should not hear what candidates have to say about a previous employer, current co-workers, customers they have served, or their personal lives (which should never be discussed during any interview, no matter where it occurs, but candidates do volunteer information from time to time).

Being put “on display” in this fashion may add to the candidate’s interview-induced stress. (Here are two articles on what interviewers can do to reduce the candidate’s stress level: 7 techniques to reduce candidates’ interview-induced stress and Use these words to reduce candidate’s stress level.

Before going any further, I must confess. I’ve done it. I’ve interviewed candidates in coffee shops and other inappropriate spots: hotel lobbies, airports and over restaurant meals. When I think about it, I realize that I always seemed to select people with whom I dined. I wonder, who did I hire? The candidate across the table or the chef in the kitchen?

Here are a few suggestions on finding places that are more conducive to interviews than coffee shops and other public spaces:

Find a private, interruption-free space – no announcements, no phone calls, no drop-in visitors, no one wanting to bus the table.

Escape your office – while better than a coffee shop, your office is never free of interruptions. You can close the door and ask someone to hold your calls, but there are always tasks lurking in your inbox, calling for your attention. When possible, go to an empty office or a small boardroom.

Take the show “on the road” – What do you do when you are meeting candidates away from the community where your office is located? Where do you interview? Hint: “At a coffee shop” is not the right answer. Your hotel room would be even worse. (Confession: I’ve done that too! What was I thinking?) Suggested answer: rent a small boardroom at a hotel or a temporary office, which can be rented by the hour or day. These alternatives are available when interviewing locally, as well.

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Now that you have found a quiet, interruption-free space to meet candidates, what are you going to ask them? Nelson can help you develop your interview questions. Better yet, invite him to present his Interview Right to Hire Right program to the leaders within your organization. Contact nmscott@telus.net or (780) 433-1443.