Coffee Bars/Cheap Office

Westdene Wonder · Dec 2, 2016

Had another example of a Coffee bar being used as a cheap alternate for an office,found a spare table a few minutes later another person entered and joined a female on the table next to us,she was questioned on her past experience and produced a CV which was discussed entries were made on a laptop and a couple of calls made on a mobile,it was a narrow room and you could not ignore what was going on,by now the place was full and in fact people were looking for a space and left which meant loss business for the firm,only the person conducting the interview purchased a drink,
I consider that large notices should be put up to put an end to this situation

bhanutz · Dec 2, 2016

Westdene Wonder said:
Had another example of a Coffee bar being used as a cheap alternate for an office,found a spare table a few minutes later another person entered and joined a female on the table next to us,she was questioned on her past experience and produced a CV which was discussed entries were made on a laptop and a couple of calls made on a mobile,it was a narrow room and you could not ignore what was going on,by now the place was full and in fact people were looking for a space and left which meant loss business for the firm,only the person conducting the interview purchased a drink,
I consider that large notices should be put up to put an end to this situation

Stop moaning....I conducted an interview in a Costa less than 2 weeks ago! It's the future!

Wrong-Direction · Dec 2, 2016

How do people find time to even go to these places!?

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Normski1989 · Dec 2, 2016

Westdene Wonder said:
Had another example of a Coffee bar being used as a cheap alternate for an office,found a spare table a few minutes later another person entered and joined a female on the table next to us,she was questioned on her past experience and produced a CV which was discussed entries were made on a laptop and a couple of calls made on a mobile,it was a narrow room and you could not ignore what was going on,by now the place was full and in fact people were looking for a space and left which meant loss business for the firm,only the person conducting the interview purchased a drink,
I consider that large notices should be put up to put an end to this situation

It's quite common practice and I don't personally see a problem with it. I did visit a Starbucks recently that actually had a small conference room in one corner that seemed pretty soundproof. It looked like an interview was taking place in there, as you could see through the glass doors. I thought that was a good idea.

clippedgull · Dec 2, 2016

This seems a good idea, but not for the 'freeloaders'

http://www.ziferblat.co.uk/ Pay by the minute, per person

halbpro · Dec 2, 2016

clippedgull said:
This seems a good idea, but not for the 'freeloaders'

http://www.ziferblat.co.uk/ Pay by the minute, per person

I can't actually work out what the rate is though.

clippedgull · Dec 2, 2016

halbpro said:
I can't actually work out what the rate is though.

I grabbed this from their Twitter profile:

We charge 6 pence per person per minute

Cowfold Seagull · Dec 2, 2016

bhanutz said:
Stop moaning....I conducted an interview in a Costa less than 2 weeks ago! It's the future!

Yes, common practice now I think.

Diego Napier · Dec 2, 2016

Westdene Wonder said:
Had another example of a Coffee bar being used as a cheap alternate for an office,found a spare table a few minutes later another person entered and joined a female on the table next to us,she was questioned on her past experience and produced a CV which was discussed entries were made on a laptop and a couple of calls made on a mobile,it was a narrow room and you could not ignore what was going on,by now the place was full and in fact people were looking for a space and left which meant loss business for the firm,only the person conducting the interview purchased a drink,
I consider that large notices should be put up to put an end to this situation

Never used to happen in Lyons tea rooms.

dazzer6666 · Dec 2, 2016

Westdene Wonder said:
Had another example of a Coffee bar being used as a cheap alternate for an office,found a spare table a few minutes later another person entered and joined a female on the table next to us,she was questioned on her past experience and produced a CV which was discussed entries were made on a laptop and a couple of calls made on a mobile,it was a narrow room and you could not ignore what was going on,by now the place was full and in fact people were looking for a space and left which meant loss business for the firm,only the person conducting the interview purchased a drink,
I consider that large notices should be put up to put an end to this situation

I do this all the time, at least for a first meeting with a potential candidate.
-difficult to find free interview rooms in our building
-candidates often prefer to meet on 'neutral ground' as may be sensitive to being potentially spotted walking in or out of a rival firms's office

BN9 BHA · Dec 2, 2016

Don't see a problem especially if they are buying very expensive cups of coffee :shrug:

Springal · Dec 2, 2016

I tend to do this a lot in London. Unless it's a Starbucks I usually buy a drink though, feels a bit cheeky if not

Notters · Dec 2, 2016

Have you seen the price of rents etc? Seems like a good idea to me.

Stat Brother · Dec 2, 2016

bn9 bha said:
Don't see a problem especially if they are buying very expensive cups of coffee

Which all tastes exactly the same.

Westdene Wonder · Dec 2, 2016

Stat Brother said:
Which all tastes exactly the same.

How many chains have you tried? Starbucks if you want a weak brew but Cafe Nero,Coffee Republic or Small Batch for something stronger

dazzer6666 · Dec 2, 2016

Westdene Wonder said:
How many chains have you tried? Starbucks if you want a weak brew but Cafe Nero,Coffee Republic or Small Batch for something stronger

Agreed. Not the same at all. Hate Starbucks - weak and bitter coffee. Nero and Costa much, much better (along with Pret)

spongy · Dec 2, 2016

Wtf? Interviews are now conducted on neutral ground? What happened to the good old days of getting dressed up, doing research on a prospective new work place? You're interviewing them as well aren't you? Isn't an interview a big thing and you're supposed to be nervous? How would an employer get a,good read on on a,possible employee if they're not in their prospective work environment.

Perhaps it's just the industry or environment i work in but that sounds stupid to me.

skipper734 · Dec 2, 2016

This tradition goes back centuries. Insurance was first started and conducted in Coffee Houses.

Norman Potting · Dec 2, 2016

Westdene Wonder said:
How many chains have you tried? Starbucks if you want a weak brew but Cafe Nero,Coffee Republic or Small Batch for something stronger

If you wanted to be a real cheapskate you could do the interview in a Waitrose and take advantage of a free coffee!

halbpro · Dec 5, 2016

clippedgull said:
I grabbed this from their Twitter profile:

We charge 6 pence per person per minute

So £3.60 an hour. That's not bad I suppose, if you have two hot drinks it's cheaper than a standard coffee shop.

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