Why does Coastal interview in person?

3 min read
November 2021

Working fully remote has its perks - and we firmly believe in all of them. Typically, the complexity of the interview process increases concurrently with the size and age of an organization.  We are currently very new and very small, but we know the importance of our culture and our team integrity in order to become an older, larger organization. 

What does this have to do with the in-person interview requirement? Let’s start with our culture. 

We’re a people-first learning organization. And, unlike the vast majority of companies, our mission statement actually means something. It is at the center of quite literally everything we do. This mission statement drives our cultural foundation and is very essential to our growth and success. 

Many people want to work in an environment where they are heard, empowered, and free to be themselves. Who wouldn’t? However, we’ve learned that culture isn’t a self-sustaining entity. It has to be nurtured, defended, and constantly reinforced. Our culture is a pretty needy concept - as it is so different from those we’ve experienced before. But, we love it. So we take care of it. 

Back to the in-person interview…

Yes - all of our roles are fully remote. However, as previous members of remote teams, we know and understand the importance that a strong team connection plays in overall satisfaction in our jobs, lives, and careers. 

We firmly believe that people make or break any and every situation. Statistics show that people do not quit their jobs, they quit their managers and their coworkers. They resign from toxic cultures that drain them and take away the passion they felt for the work they did before they started that position. They kill productivity and make it hard to wake up in the morning. 

Conversely, people are also the reason we do what we do. People can inspire and motivate one another in ways nothing else can. People shape our lives. So, above all else, we invest in people. 

We choose to do our final round interviews in person to make sure that our candidates like us. But, more than that, we make sure our candidates are inspired by us. That we move them and speak to something deep inside them that says they want to be heard, appreciated, and challenged. We don’t want to be just another job you log in to in the morning with last night’s hangover and a grimace. We want to be the best job you’ve ever had. And, we know we can be. 

But, in order to continue to be the best place to work for everyone on the team, we need to make sure that our candidates are fully committed to the value that a people-first culture holds. As we said, our culture is needy. We need to continue to build a team whose values are tightly woven with our culture and who will defend and nurture it in all that they do. 

If this overview was too intense, seemingly overwhelming, or unappealing to you. Coastal probably isn’t the right place. And that’s okay! But, if this overview inspired you, motivated you, or made you tear up (it’s okay, we cry too), please take a look at our openings and continue on with our application process. We’re so excited to meet you. 

The actual details you may have come for:

We’re fully remote BUT we love to travel. Also, we believe growing our team is a cause for celebration. So, for each new hire, we select a city in the US and send 2-3 team members for a long weekend. We invite our top candidate(s) to join us (and we pick up the tab for the flight & hotel). 

During the interview, we will have casual 1:1 conversations that will get to the heart of what we are and what we do. We’ll learn more about you and you’ll learn more about us. Pretty quickly, it will be apparent on both sides if we’re really a fit.

Regardless, it’s sure to be the absolute best interview you’ve ever had.

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