Why Interview Someone at Starbucks?

From Portland, to Pendleton, Klamath Falls, and many locations along the way, many Oregon communities have at least one Starbucks location. Given the number and geographic diversity of Starbucks locations across the state, a recent article from USA Today piqued our interest.

The article poses this question: do employers get more out of interviews at Starbucks than in their offices? Many employers say yes. They provided a variety of reasons for selecting the coffee shop for interviews. Here's a sampling of some reasons provided for using Starbucks as an interview location:

• Some employers don't have some glitzy offices, or any brick and mortar office at all.

• Meeting at Starbucks can feel less formal. Using a neutral space can create more of a shared experience and less of a lopsided one, where the interviewee waits in a company lobby or manager's office. In a place with more equal footing, the job candidate can feel more comfortable.

• Interviews at Starbucks can feel more like a conversation, which is what an interview should be. You may even interact with others at the next table, which can be telling for an employer. 

• In that more relaxed, communal environment, job candidates may share information more openly (for better or worse). Employers can get a better feel for the personality of the interviewee.

You can find more details, including what interviewers say they're looking for in a candidate during that first coffee encounter, in the full story.