Dancing at job interviews has been backed by the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development (CIPD), despite furious trade union protests.
GMB officials have threatened to dance outside B&Q stores in protest at the DIY chain asking job applicants to bop along to a Jackson 5 track.
The Norwich B&Q store was recruiting store-based staff and described the dancing as an “ice-breaker” that went down well with most applicants.
The union said asking potential employees to dance to disco classic Blame it on the Boogie over tea and coffee before answering formal questions was “demeaning and irrelevant”.
But, in a surprise move, the CIPD insisted the dancing was a clever way of judging the personalities of the interviewees – and backed an increase in the practice.
Nicola Monson, CIPD research associate, told Personnel Today: “Companies are beginning to look further than just the skills and competencies to do the job. This is a creative and innovative way of checking that people have the right attitude to fit in with the company’s culture. Other HR staff could definitely take lessons from this.”
But the GMB insisted it would fight firms asking interviewees to dance. “If they don’t stop this nonsense then we will stage singing and dancing demonstrations outside their shops,” a union spokesman said.
A B&Q statement said: “This practice is not a formal part of our recruitment policy, but our stores are encouraged to make sure candidates are relaxed before the interview process.”
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