My advice is don't waste your time being wowed by the seemingly professional high caliber outdoor environment that is depicted on their career page. The interview process was anything but that after a glimmer of hope at the beginning.
When I was first contacted, the process was clearly explained and the promise was a three week completion with clear steps. What unfolded was a series of repetitive and unprofessional conversations and a process that lasted more than 3 months, ultimately leading to frustration and the desire to never work at backcountry...EVER.
For starters, the interviewers were never well prepared. Conversations were carried out 4 times via Skype with very unoriginal questions from each interviewer. They were almost classically bad. When I would ask about the company vision, management styles, or how certain objectives fit into the greater leadership strategy, seemingly clear questions were met with extremely vague responses. At best, my impression was that turnover was high, hours were long, and leadership lacked clear control over the company.
On the FIRST completion of the interview process, I was told they ended up hiring someone local based on salary and the ability to start immediately. The frustrating part is that I was told I was their first choice...but they didn't give me the opportunity to negotiate or evaluate an offer.
Fast forward a month or so and I am re-approached for the same role now that they have more budget for hiring. You would think because of recent conversations that I wouldn't have to repeat the entire process and have three additional conversations. Wrong - I met with the same senior leaders to gently remind them why they were speaking to me. One would presume HR would sort this before reentering the conversation. Wrong again!
After a second full interview process, they decided to not extend an offer. By the time I was presented this, I couldn't even feign a response. The process was exhausting, the way they handled it was not professional, and clearly, if they are trying to attract top talent they need to realize they are not the only game in town.
For starters, everyone won't roll over for you just because you're backcountry. Though you have an impressive company, it isn't worth the cut in pay, career digression, or sacrifice to enter. Have a clear sense of what you want and how you value people before entering into the conversation. I hope for future talent you manage the process much differently.
