The interview process went very smoothly and the Interviewers were very friendly, open, and encouraging. I applied as part of the Autism at Work program. I met with a Citizens Bank representative, Monica, at my college career fair and was vey interested in the role and program, especially because of their attention to detail and genuine interest in me and finding individuals who are well fit for the collaborative work environment, which is type of environment where I want to work at.
Eventually, I scheduled a screening interview with Citizens and then was asked to complete a coding challenge with extended time as accommodations for my learning disability. I completed this process swiftly and moved onto the next step and passed onto the next step in the interview.
As part of the Autism at Work program, Citizens provided me with help from a consultant to help me through the interview process, which is something I have never experienced before and shows me how much this company cares about finding and integrating workers with neurodiversity into their company environment. This in itself is above and beyond all of my expectations, and definitely raised the bar for what I would look for in a company.
The final interview was a panel interview, and even though I went 17 minutes over time with my interviewers, they were incredibly understanding, empathetic, and kind.
I really did NOT want to have to decline this job offer, however other circumstantial factors that were out of my control contributed to my declining of the offer. I had already signed a lease with my apartment and even though Citizens Bank had a hybrid working model, I would have to be in office in Johnston, RI three times a week, which is a 1 hour commute from my workplace.
Even with the compensation that would be provided in the offer for relocation, the current gas prices being extremely high , along with my future high monthly car payments and increase car insurance rates, having to drive a longer distance to commute was personally risky for my circumstances due to minor car accidents that occurred in the past three years. I would have to risk possibly getting into more car accidents on the commute and have more points on my driving record, and since my quoted auto insurance was already very high, I needed to financially account for these circumstances that would best fit my career as a new graduate who also has to repay student loans.