Start-up speeds up job opportunities

A job interview isn’t that different from a date – both parties are looking to gain more information about one another in order to decide whether or not they’re well suited.

Speed dating has been around for several years now; but what about applying the concept to business?

A Spanish business school has overseen the launch of Innovation Speed Dating, designed to help full-time MBA students studying entrepreneurship find innovative projects to participate in.

At the program’s inaugural event, students were paired with representatives of local business ideas. The students were given information on each project ahead of time, allowing them to plan who they were most interested in meeting.

Then, following the traditional speed dating format, participants at the event underwent a series of brief face-to-face encounters that let everyone meet and get to know each other.

Those who seemed to click could then further the relationship afterwards, potentially leading to the launch of a new company.

A business-savvy person with a background in events management, education, recruitment or HR could very easily facilitate similar forums here in Australia. The concept could be transformed into a mobile-based business, servicing cities and towns across the country.