• by Richard Whitman , Columnist, April 13, 2016

Minneapolis-based Solve, like many inventive approaches before it, has come up with yet another ingenious idea to both identify and recruit summer interns. Late last month, the agency created a pop-up version of the agency modeled after the actual agency and took it on the road.

The model, consisting of a lobby, collaborative workspace and a conference room, is home to 5-minute interviews during which prospects illustrate their creativity by, ahem, solving a marketing assignment. Those who performed well were granted an interview.

Kicking off the tour, the agency took the pop-up office to both Northwestern University and the University of Wisconsin. And the agency has constructed a pop up at its agency right in Minneapolis for those living in Minneapolis or not attending either one of those colleges.

Of the effort, Solve Account Director Ryan Murray said: “Solve’s summer program is focused on actual client work, and we want to see how candidates perform in a real, fast-paced ad agency environment. We are completely bypassing the traditional screening methods of cover letters and resumes going to blind inboxes.”