My path to this position was somewhat unconventional. I was in continuous contact with Ford recruiters since February and narrowly missed the summer field operations internship because all available spots were already taken. I accepted another internship for the summer, but I continued expressing my interest to Ford’s recruiters. I was committed to joining Ford after staying in touch with the recruiting team over the summer, so I made a point of meeting them at my school's career expo in September. They were personable and encouraged me to apply, so I applied for the Zone Manager role in the FCG program through both my school's on-campus recruiting system and the corporate Ford website. After I met certain minimum criteria (GPA, etc.), I took three assessments that measured my critical thinking skills in math and reading, as well as my culture fit. I was informed that I passed thirty minutes later and was cleared to interview if selected by the recruiting team to do so. I was invited to a first round two-person panel interview in October, which included some logistical questions, details about the position, a few behavioral, and a few situational questions (one of which involved analyzing a document). The difficulty of the questions took me by surprise - they were much more challenging than questions I had experienced in other interviews, especially the situational questions. This made me want the position even more as it is clear that Ford seeks exceptionally bright, hardworking, and capable employees. Extensive background knowledge of the auto industry, dealership operations, and (as much as possible) the Zone Manager role/resources available to Zone Managers will be beneficial for the interviews. For the behavioral questions, know your resume thoroughly and put thought into a number of personal stories that show your strengths. After what seemed like an abysmal first round interview, I was not at all surprised when I heard nothing from Ford. However, I was pleasantly shocked to receive a phone call from the Ford Talent Center in early November (over a month after the first round interview occurred) inviting me to the second round in Dearborn in mid November. I had only one week to prepare, but I was excited for another opportunity to prove myself. I was flown to Detroit on a Wednesday afternoon, picked up in a black Lincoln Navigator at the airport, and put up in The Dearborn Inn for the night. I was given a $25 limit for dinner at the restaurant in the hotel (alcohol is excluded). The majority of folks staying at the Inn were undergrad and post-grad students interviewing the next day at Ford for various engineering and business positions. I woke up at 5:00 AM to run through my preparation one more time, and my group of interviewees (the first of three groups included in the first of two interview rounds throughout the day) was picked up in a Ford Transit van at 6:30 AM. We were brought to the Ford Talent Center ten minutes away, assigned interview suites, and shown a video about Michigan and the benefits of working for Ford. At 8:00 AM, I was brought back to a panel of three interviewers. The first part lasted from 8:00-9:00 AM and consisted of a dozen behavioral questions and two or three situational questions. These are much more difficult than the first round and all three interviewers will ask probing questions to dive deeper into your experiences. Prepare extensively and make sure your answers are bulletproof, thorough, and fully address all parts of each questions asked. I was offered a break around 8:40 AM but I felt comfortable so I declined. We finished the first portion shortly after 9:00 AM and we conversed/exchanged questions until 9:30 AM. At this time, I was told to take a break before the second part of the interview: a simulated meeting with a dealership manager. At 9:40 AM, all three interviewers left after giving me about 15 documents review and a brief explanation of this second part. You are given 30 minutes to review the documents - not enough time to read them all, so figure out what's important to focus on. Two interviewers came back (they were five minutes early) and the meeting began - one interviewer was the dealership manager and the other took notes. After 30 minutes for the meeting, I was allowed more time to converse and ask questions. Overall, the whole interview finished at 11:30 AM. All of the morning interviewees/interviewers ate a catered lunch together at 12:30 PM. At 1:30 PM, morning interviewees who opted to do so went to the Ford Rouge Factory located 15 minutes down the road for a tour. After the tour, we were all brought back to the Ford Talent Center, picked up in black Lincoln Navigators, and brought to the airport before 5:00 PM. I received an offer about three weeks after the final interview.