It’s true, I like Monkeys
This post written by Matt Douglas, Founder & CEO
Anyone who has interviewed at Punchbowl Software has most likely been subjected to the “Monkey test.” Truth be told, I’m not sure when or how it all started. My guess is that I probably had a lot of interviews that week and I was simply looking to spice them up a little. The monkey test has become part amusement, and part enlightening. Most importantly, it makes every interview candidate smile, which is worth it in itself.
A few weeks ago, I had lunch with a reporter from Mass High Tech named Galen Moore. During our lunch, we covered a lot of topics about MyPunchbowl and somehow the conversation turned to startup interviewing techniques. Galen lit up when I told him about my monkey test, and we brainstormed about an article that would cover unique interview techniques.
The results of Galen’s research were published in this week’s Mass High Tech. I think he did a great job with the article except for one MAJOR mistake. Galen and his team decided to take a photo of the other company that they interviewed for the article. When I spoke with Galen about this, his reasoning was that they thought a picture of the “Fenway Park” cafeteria (from the other company) would be a great cover shot for the newspaper. Well Galen — you should have learned something from CareerBuilder: *everyone* loves monkeys. We could have rented a monkey and taken photos all around town. Me + monkey would have sold DOUBLE the number of copies that your silly Fenway Park shot did. And one other thing: I’m pretty sure you stole from me the one chance in life that I will have to be on the cover of a significant publication with a real monkey. I’m really, really hurt. How could you deprive me?
Anyway, besides that, the article was very good…. here’s the part of the article where Galen covered the “monkey test.”
Execs throw new tricks into hiring process: by Galen Moore
Punchbowl Software Inc. is hiring, and CEO Matt Douglas promises that no job candidate gets a pass on the monkey test.
The Framingham-based online event-planning startup has 10 employees. All of them have seen the coffee-table book Douglas keeps in his office titled “Monkey Portraits” (Bulfinch 2006). In the middle of job interviews, Douglas pulls out the book and asks candidates to pick the monkey that best represents their mood. Once the book is open, Douglas says, “By the way, you have 15 seconds.”
The monkey test may be exotic, but it’s just one among a collection of tricks executives and recruiters use to gauge a potential hire’s aptitude for working on a startup team. Whether the candidate is a potential CFO or a marketing intern, such tests seek to reveal the DNA of an entrepreneurial mind. In difficult economic times, when more and more people are looking for work, companies are equally focused on finding the best candidate for the positions they are filling.
The monkey test shows how a person will respond to a direction that may not seem valid, Douglas said. In startups, he explained, there’s often no time for negotiation or disagreement. Following that, it shows how a candidate makes decisions when time is tight.
“I’ve actually sat with people who can’t make a decision on picking a monkey,” Douglas said. “If they can’t make a decision on picking a monkey, how are they going to make a decision when it really matters?”
Read the rest of the article on Mass High Tech. Oh, and if you’re up to it, send me a Monk-e-mail. I can never get enough.
