Open House recruitment - is it worth trying it out in a small company?

Open House is a relatively new recruitment method that is only just being tested in Polish companies. It was first used by I Love Rewards in 2010. About 400 candidates took part in the recruitment process. This innovative method of acquiring employees is beginning to be appreciated by domestic entrepreneurs. What is the idea of ​​the Open House method and is it worth introducing in a small company?

Open House - a slightly different recruitment process

Traditionally, the first stage of the recruitment process is the publication of a job advertisement. Then the candidates send their application documents, recruiters make an initial selection of CVs and cover letters and conduct telephone interviews. Then interviews take place at the company's premises. In slightly more complex recruitments, potential employees complete skill, language and even personality tests.

The Open House method also starts with posting a job advertisement, with a slightly different form. The company informs about the recruitment process through advertising portals, social networks and traditional media. The job positions for which new employees are sought are generally presented. Everyone interested in work is invited to a recruitment meeting. They do not need to send application documents. All they have to do is contact the company and confirm their presence.

The recruitment meeting consists of two parts. At the beginning, the candidates are officially welcomed, presenting the characteristics of individual job positions (scope of duties and required skills, education and experience), company policy, organizational culture, and work rules. Then, the informal part takes place in a relaxed atmosphere, reminiscent of an integration event. People interested in working have the opportunity to talk to recruiters and present themselves to them. Often, at this stage of the Open House, individual talks are carried out with each of the meeting participants. Candidates who appeal to recruiters are asked to send their application documents.

The next steps of an Open House usually include CV and cover letter analysis, in-depth job interviews and skill tests. Sometimes the assessment center method is also used, which allows to learn about the various qualifications of candidates.

Open House - the benefits of an innovative recruitment method

The Open House method primarily allows you to reduce the costs of recruitment processes in a situation when the company has vacancies for various jobs. Recruiters do not have to create several different job advertisements - they just need to prepare one general invitation. There is also no need to carry out a time-consuming CV analysis without being sure that all those who sent the documents are still interested in starting a job. HR specialists do not have to provide the same information about the company to subsequent candidates at individual meetings - you can reach many people in one place and at the same time.

The use of Open House saves time and costs - recruiters select CVs of candidates who are really interested in taking up a job. By presenting the company at the official part of the meeting, you can also eliminate people who are not satisfied with the specificity of the company. It is impossible to find out from the job offer what the organizational culture, policy and rules of work look like.

Is Open House a method for a small business?

In a small company, the Open House method can be implemented at the stage of starting a business. Then it will be necessary to recruit employees for various positions - e.g. for the accounting, IT, sales or marketing departments. In this way, the young entrepreneur can get to know people who would like to work with him in a relaxed atmosphere. By getting to know people in an informal setting, you can learn more about their personality, attitudes and behavior.

The Open House method can also be used when the company is dynamically developing. When creating a new branch, it is necessary to recruit not two or three, but several dozen employees. Then, you can also organize one recruitment meeting to simplify the process of recruiting new people to work.

Open House should not be used when we want to find only a few people to work. In such a situation, it is more reasonable to use the traditional course of the recruitment process - job offer, CV selection, job interview, skills tests.