We all remember our first sleepover, whether it was in a rec room, a tree house, or under the stars. We played games, ate junk food, and gossiped into the night. And in the morning we felt close to our friends and happy (minus the person whose hand got left in hot water overnight, but even they eventually changed pants and laughed it off). Local startup Bebo wants to take that feeling (the close feeling, not the peeing one), and use it to find new staffers. The company produces a social media app that incorporates cartoon avatars to use during text conversations. Like any good app they need developers, but unlike any other app they're hosting a sleepover to recruit them. You read that right, a sleepover.
Bebo lead artist Brittany Metz says the idea for this odd event (called Sleepless in Soma) came during a recent team hackathon that lasted well into the night. The event made her realize that her team is pretty tight knit and needed recruits who would be willing to "step out of their comfort zone." She thinks of the sleepover as less of a hiring exercise and more like "getting ten new friends."
According to the event page, Sleepless in Soma will be like when "churches used to lock youths in all night and then give them pizza and talk about Jesus." Metz is keen to emphasize that "we're not going to talk about Jesus ... we'll probably show you the app we're building."
Applicants are invited to RSVP by April 3rd to the event, which will include beer, pizza, games, and s'mores. The would-be developers are also encouraged to bring onesies, sleeping bags, and pillows.
This is certainly not the weirdest thing a tech company has ever done to get new recruits. I still wake up at night thinking about Google's old set of interview questions (I still have no idea how many golf balls would fit in a school bus). But this event sounds a little, well, culty. It reminds me of the time Michael Scott from The Office challenged everyone to a coal walk for his job.
Metz sees the sleepover as a sort of advanced team building endeavor rather than a Manson Family type deal. She says that over the top events like this one encourage people to get out of the rigid posturing one usually has during interviews and get a feel for the overall vibe of the company. Plus, she adds, "the first rule of cults is generally not to talk about the cult."
Metz says Bebo is looking for "anyone who thinks a little differently, who can hustle to get things done," adding, "they should also be ok with lasers."
This story has been updated: the original piece stated that Bebo was looking for interns but the company is looking for full-time developers.
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Image via Brittany Metz.