Hiring from the Booth: How PIN-UP Global Conducts Interviews at Conferences

Even if you are not actively looking for a job, meeting a recruiter can always be useful. After all, circumstances change. And a casual encounter at a conference could be the start of a new career in the future,” says Valeria Virchenko, Head of Talent Acquisition at PIN-UP Global. For several years now, the holding company has been conducting interviews directly at its booth during major industry conferences. How this works in practice and why it is always worth stopping by to meet with HR is discussed further in the interview.

How did the idea of conducting interviews directly at the booth come about? How did it become part of the strategy?

“Just last year, we grew by 58%. Such growth rates have taught us to hire quickly and use all available tools to do so, including interviews directly at the booth. After all, a conference brings a huge flow of people. And there is a good chance that one of the attendees is exactly the candidate we are looking for. A brief conversation at the booth gives us the opportunity to immediately understand whether a person is a cultural and soft skills fit. While potential candidates can learn about career opportunities in an international holding company.”

How common is this practice in the industry? Do many companies conduct interviews right at the booth?

“To be honest, I have not heard of such a practice among others, specifically conducting interviews. Usually, booths are organised as open spaces for communication, but I have rarely encountered meeting rooms like ours, where interviews can be conducted. So, you could say we were one of the first to systematise this approach. We really see the value in it and continue to use it.”

How does it work in practice?

“Our HR team is really active at events. Depending on the scale of the event (and the size of the booth), we bring from 2 to 7 people (recruiters, HR managers) with us. We introduce ourselves, talk about the company, spot potential candidates, and exchange contacts. 

“We always have well-designed areas. There are hostesses at the reception who communicate with the public, help with navigation, and provide basic information about PIN-UP Global. If the conversation goes deeper and beyond the knowledge of the hostesses, then the HR staff get involved. If we see that a person is potentially interesting to the holding company, and the holding company is interesting to them, then we communicate and exchange contacts. This is how we expand our candidate database right on the spot. 

“After the event, this database is processed as part of our overall funnel: we reach back to the candidates, write, call, and continue the process in the regular mode.”

How do candidates behave?

“Very few people approach directly with the words: “I’m currently in search of a job, tell me what vacancies you have.” Most often, people ask about the merchandise, express interest in getting acquainted, and engage in brief conversations. And then, a day, a week or even a few months later, they write: “We have met at a conference, I am currently open to offers and ready to consider a job.”

“That’s totally okay. Firstly, not everyone is ready to discuss career issues in public, especially if they came because of their current job. Any conversation with a recruiter in public may raise unnecessary questions. Secondly, even those who are not currently looking for a job may include us in their list of potential employers for the future.

“If the person shows interest, we give them the opportunity to continue the conversation in a way that is convenient for them. If not, we just note the contact. We have had cases when people contacted us even a year after they met us. In any case, even brief contact at an event can be the start of a new career path.”

How effective is this approach? And who do you mostly end up finding?

“Hiring directly at conferences is a small channel as a percentage. This approach is certainly not comparable in volume to daily work via LinkedIn, job boards and direct search. But that’s the point: quality, not quantity.

“Through meetings at conferences, we have been able to reach really rare specialists. This is especially true of C-level candidates (those hard to find and even harder to get interested in through a standard approach). Large events are the easiest place to find them. And it is exactly through informal live dialogue that we can notice that this is the person we are looking for.”

Does a marketing approach to recruiting work?

“We long ago stopped thinking of recruiting as a resume matching process. For us, recruiting is quite a marketing story, only we are targeting future colleagues. We are building recognition, forming trust, strengthening the image of the company as a place where you want to work. And every booth, every event is our showcase.

“Today, one touch is not enough to interest a candidate. People choose by feeling: who you are, how to communicate with you, what you are really like. The conference allows us to show all of this at once. The booth, the people, the communication. It all contributes to making an impression. And even if a person is not looking for a job now, he or she remembers: “They were great. The HR staff were very professional; the booth was cool. The company internally must be the same.”

“We realise that the candidate’s journey looks like a funnel. And the first acquaintance, even a passing one, is already a step towards a future offerer. It’s like brand advertising: you don’t buy immediately, but when choosing, you remember exactly those who stay in your memory.”

What would be your advice to candidates who are unsure whether they should approach recruiters at a booth?

“Don’t worry and don’t hesitate to come up and talk! Even if you are not actively looking for a job, meeting a recruiter can always be useful. We are open to conversation and will never pressure anyone or push for an immediate decision. Meeting with us does not oblige you to take immediate action, but it may become important in the future. By the way, we are already actively preparing for the SBC Summit in Lisbon, which will take place on 16–18 September. So if you’ll be there, come visit us at booth D185. And if we have already met before — we will be happy to just catch up!”