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Should My Small Business Hold Job Open Houses?

Thomas Verdone

July 26, 2013

Hiring the right people to create a successful team can be one of the biggest challenges that a small business faces.

Maybe your small business started out with you taking care of everything and now that you are expanding, you need to spread out some of the responsibility in order to keep providing quality service to your customers. Perhaps you are looking to open a new location and need to fill many positions at once.

How do you go about hiring the right people to fill these positions and help your business continue to grow?

One area to consider is hosting job open houses, whereby you can spread the word about your brand, perhaps finding your next great employee. 

What are Job Open Houses?

Job open houses are opportunities for a large number of applicants to visit the work location for a round of quick screening interviews.

It is usually open for a set amount of time and applicants are allowed to show up at their convenience. The amount of advertising you do will determine how many people show up at your companies open house.

Once applicant's arrive they can be put through a basic interview with someone from the company, or they may be given other screening materials.

Potential screening materials could include a questionnaire or test that will help determine whether or not the applicant is qualified for the position. Interviews can be conducted in a one-on-one setting, or in a group interview format.

Why Should Your Business Use an Open House?

An open house interview setting offers unique advantages to both employers and applicants who show up.

For employers, the hassle of scheduling a large number of interviews with applicants who they know little about it eliminated. You are able to screen applicants in person and invite back those who seem promising. This type of interview format also speeds up the screening process. It allows you to make a yes or no judgement about candidates without having to wade through a large amount of impersonal cover letters and resumes.

This type of interview process also allows you to see some of the candidates interpersonal skills before having to bring them in for a formal interview.

This can be especially helpful if the job opening requires constant human interaction such as a sales or support position. The applicant may also feel more comfortable about the position by having the opportunity to see the facilities and meeting current employees before a formal interview is scheduled.

Things to Consider about Open Houses

There are a few potential negative aspects to this type of interview process.

Since there may be a large number of applicants who arrive, the interview portion may feel rushed and impersonal which could dissuade some of the best talent from accepting a position.

Another potential drawback is that some of the applicants who show up will not be qualified and you will need to dismiss them in order to find fitting candidates to interview.

Overall job open houses can be a strong tool for small businesses who are trying to fill positions as they continue to grow.

By keeping in mind the pros and cons listed here you will be able to make an informed choice as to whether or not this sort of arrangement is right for your company.

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