Photo by Lara CooperMatt Stephenson tosses ice cream into the air Friday during his shift at Cold Stone Creamery. Stephenson is one of the many employees at Cold Stone who &#8220auditioned” during an initial interview.

An ice cream shop is offering more than just sweetness.

Cold Stone Creamery, deemed one of the fastest growing franchises in America by Fortune Magazine, has a location in Bowling Green and is at the forefront of an innovative way to interview potential employees.

Cold Stone employees sing ice cream-related songs when tipped and have other cheery ways to greet customers.

Because of that, the owners of the local franchise, Paul and Jill Read, felt a traditional sit-down, &#8220tell me what I want to hear” type of interview wouldn’t suffice.

Instead, the Reads have applicants sing, dance and perform team-based activities as part of an interview, which is often at Hillvue Heights Church on Nashville Road. As a result, the interviews could be more properly termed &#8220auditions.”

Cindy Hines, regional director for the Kentucky Society of Human Resource Management, said the Reads’ peculiar approach to hiring is aimed at finding the right fit for their business.

&#8220It’s so unique,” Hines said. &#8220There’s no right or wrong way to do an interview, as long as you’re consistent.

&#8220That’s how they find out if an employee will fit into what they will be required to do on the job.”

Companies are coming up with unique ways to interview as more applicants are becoming educated about what to say and what not to say – and as they find out, in some instances, that the great interviewee they hired is actually a disastrous employee.

By holding auditions, Hines said, applicants can’t prepare as easily.

&#8220What you see is what you get, and it’s probably a more honest interview,” Hines said.

In an audition earlier this year, the interview started off with an &#8220icebreaker” where interviewees introduced themselves and then were asked random questions, such as &#8220What would you do if you won the lottery?” or &#8220What would your professors say about you?”

Laura Sutkus, a senior at Western Kentucky University from New Hampshire who’s studying to be a middle school teacher, wasn’t shy in making the case to be the next ice cream scooper for Cold Stone.

&#8220I’ve run a bunch of state fairs back home, so I have really strong wrists,” Sutkus said, explaining how she had six years of experience filling cones and other containers with ice cream.

Bowling Green resident Sasha Herrera, a senior at Greenwood High School, said she wanted the job experience on her resume.

Herrera, who is the recipient of a ROTC scholarship, plans to attend the University of Louisville as a pre-medicine major.

&#8220Tell me about your life 10 years from now,” Paul Read asked Herrera.

Herrera said she would like to have a home and kids or would be finishing up a medical degree.

The icebreaker followed several activities where applicants had to &#8220bust a move” by dancing without music or doing something outgoing.

Sutkus did the &#8220chicken dance,” Herrera told a joke, and one person did a back flip – a first, the Reads said.

Then it was &#8220American Idol” time as Cold Stone songs were passed out to applicants, who had to get in front of the group and belt out the tunes.

The Reads then explained more about the position and the responsibilities involved before showing the applicants that they, too, could strut out a tune and a dance – performing the &#8220Banana Song” for the applicants.

– Cold Stone Creamery specializes in ice cream, cakes, smoothies and good cheer. For more information, call the Bowling Green location at 780-0325 or visit the corporate Web site at http://www.coldstonecreamery.com