Since fair season has come to an end, so has the stomach-churning rides on the Ferris wheel. For one company, however, rides on the Ferris wheel take on a whole new meaning.
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HRSBT has previously reported odd locations where job interviews have taken place, but have you ever heard of one taking place on a Ferris wheel? According to the Chicago Tribune, Havas Worldwide commandeered six gondolas to hold job interviews for multiple positions with the company.
Each interviewee got two revolutions on the Ferris wheel (about 15 minutes) to convince ad executives why they were a perfect fit for a job with the company. The Tribune reported that the company hoped the unconventional approach would surface innovative thinkers, relax the typically stressful interview environment, and show off Havas’s own creative chops.
“It’s a street fight for talent,” said CEO Paul Marobella, who has been at the helm of Havas’s Chicago office for 2 years. According to the Tribune, the event was promoted on LinkedIn and other social media channels. It drew 130 interested applicants, but given a 2-hour window for the event, only 30 applicants received confirmed spins on the wheel while others hoped for luck on the waiting list.
What about the people who are afraid of heights, you ask? Well candidates could show ingenuity with a counteroffer to meet at sea level. “If someone sent me an e-mail and said I can’t interview on the Ferris wheel but I’ll interview on the carousel, I would have taken them up on it,” Marobella said. Forget all the buzz about digital recruiting; if you’re looking to take hiring to a whole new level, why not follow in Havas’s footsteps, or maybe take it up a notch and try interviewing on a rollercoaster!