First, the good: everyone that I came into contact with was extremely friendly. It seems that the people who work here are actually happy to do so. The building seemed OK and modern enough, although much of the space seemed to be taken up by the manufacturing facilities and as a result, it felt more blue collar with lots of uniformed workers milling about and areas devoted to machinery.
Now for the bad. I applied to this job when it was first posted after seeing it listed on Monster.com. It was nearly two months later when HR contacted me to indicate their interest in me, which tells me that the hiring manager(s) were not very serious about filling this position. I also asked them during the interview when they hoped to have the right candidate start in this role and the date they stated (after some hesitation) was again, nearly two months into the future. Not a reassuring thing to hear, especially if you’re unemployed, as I was during the time of the interview.
The questions were pretty standard—no real curveballs—but I felt that the hiring manager was very inexperienced as an interviewer. She kept making jokes and quips, even as responses to some of the questions I asked her. Instead of focusing on my most recent experience, she got fixated on the gap between the year I graduated from college and the first job I had listed. I purposely had left off my first job after college because it was 20 years ago and consisted of answering a customer service 1-800 line that wasn’t relevant to the position I was interviewing for or any of my most recent experience. She actually said to me, “I just want to make sure you weren’t in jail during this time.” She was joking but to be honest, I found it insulting and rude. I present myself professionally in interviews. I’ve been working since I was the legal age to do so in Massachusetts at the time (age 15 1/2 and worked in a hotel during my college years to pay for my tuition, giving up my weekends, summer vacations and Christmas breaks to work as many hours as possible. Not to mention if you’re really wondering about any criminal background that may exist on a candidate, have your human resources department run a background check.
But the real kicker was the fidgety behavior and appearance of the hiring manager’s manager. Let's just say she didn't dress like a professional and her wardrobe gave the impression she isn't making much of a salary. Throughout the interview, she kept playing with her hair—running her fingers through it, pulling it back in a pseudo-ponytail, and letting it fall. Rinse and repeat. It was distracting to say the least, and sent the message that she really didn’t care about my time or the interview. Very unprofessional and disrespectful. Job seekers see so many articles that tell them how to dress and behave during an interview, but I’d love to see someone address the way an interviewer should behave and present themselves.
To top it off I had to take a silly grammar and writing test (and one of the questions on the test actually contained a mistake!) C’mon…I’ve had articles purchased and published and have been writing for years…all of this is on my online portfolio including screenshots of my copywriting work and marketing materials I have written. This was another waste of time and a sign that they didn’t do any research into my background as my portfolio URL is clearly stated at the top of my resume. In the end, I was there for three and a half hours—a large chunk of my day gone.
It’s important to note that I am sure my particular experience is not indicative of all departments in this company; however, I had the misfortune of getting stuck with two incompetent people who didn’t know how to interview and frankly, I couldn’t see myself working with either of them.
About a month later, HR contacted me to let me know they went with another candidate. I wouldn't have accepted the job anyway had it been offered to me.