The fun part of reviewing The Co.Lab applications is reading about amazing people and what they are passionate about! The least fun part is rejecting people’s applications.
As a matter of necessity, the Co.Lab has to reject some applications, since not everyone will share our vision or be a good fit with the existing membership. That said, necessity doesn’t make rejecting applications any easier for either The Co.Lab members or applicants. People often spend a long time writing their applications and coming to the space to meet members, and we are really grateful for their efforts. It feels awful to say no after all that work.
Unfortunately, we don’t comment on the specific reasons a particular application was rejected, even when asked by the applicant. Although most of our rejections are because we don’t have enough information to say yes—an easy letter to write—explaining why we reject people for other reasons is a much more difficult conversation. This is mostly because it is almost impossible to give someone more detail on why they were rejected without actually hurting them more. Also, none of our volunteers (and we’re all volunteers) are willing to write that many painful emails. We additionally wish to respect the privacy of applicants so only members of the Membership Cluster view applications through a confidential protocol everyone adheres to.
Since we don’t comment on the specific reasons that individuals’ applications are declined, we wanted to share some general reasons why an application might not be accepted, in hopes of helping reduce the number of applications we reject.
Your application didn’t have enough detail.
If an application has very short answers for each question, it’s hard for us to guess whether we are suitable for what you want or if you share our values. Sometimes we can figure it out based on other information in the application, but an application with nothing but one-sentence answers to each question is unlikely to be accepted.
You’re looking for something that the space can’t really offer.
If you’re primarily looking for a full-time co-working space where you can have tons of team meetings and take lots of phone calls, The Co.Lab isn’t set up for this. Although we have meeting rooms and a Skype/phone room it is shared amongst all members and heavy usage doesn’t work. If you are looking for a space simply because it’s in Easthampton and you don’t align so much with the community engagement aspect of The Co.Lab, that also isn’t a great fit.
You’re telling us what we want to hear and we can tell.
We all have a good sense of humor and can poke fun at the rhetoric that co-working spaces have adopted from various thought leader fields (see, even that sounds funny). Sometimes we have a conversation with someone and the way in which they talk about collaboration or community involvement is full of rote answers that don’t necessarily tell us how they specifically identify with our vision.
There’s a certain level of independence, self-awareness, emotional intelligence and in-person engagement that we look for in our members. This isn’t about whether or not you have those attributes; it’s about how the chemistry functions within the context of the space itself, which unfortunately can only be felt through an intuitive process we all agree on.
We didn’t get a chance to meet you, or if we met you, not enough of a chance to talk to you.
It’s difficult to get a sense of people from Internet-only interactions. Since The Co.Lab is an in-person place and we are trying to create a welcoming environment, understanding how people interact in person is an important part of deciding whether they should be a member. We require that every applicant come to an open house and have an in-person interview with at least one member (and hopefully one of the founders) who thinks the applicant would be a respectful member and an asset to the community we’re cultivating. Also, sometimes we are hesitating on an application because of one of the above reasons, and if we get a chance to meet the person and ask for more information, that can help us accept their application.
What’s next if you have been rejected?
We aren’t the only co-working space around. Below are some other co-working spaces in the Valley that might be better suited for your needs. Check them out!
Click in Northampton
The Writers Mill in Florence
Bridge of Flowers Business Center in Shelburne Falls
Gateway City Arts in Holyoke