What have I gotten into?
First things first - I apologize, specifically to my good friend Chrissy, for not providing a timely update as to how my interview went! :-) I also apologize to those few others who occasionally read my blog but don't leave comments.
The interview was a 100 minutes of tag-team questioning that, quite frankly, was so in-depth, detailed and weird that I'm now left pondering my options if indeed I get asked to move to the next round.
For a process that began in early September, it's now been almost two months and they are still not close to making a decision. They spent over a month collecting and reviewing resumes. Then they did phone call interviews, which ranged anywhere from 7-15 depending on who you talking to. This next phase was to be 2-3 people, but I'm thinking it might be closer to 5-7.
During my 100 minutes there I spent about 20-25 of those with the President and one of the Directors in a tag-team interview. That wasn't too bad. Lots of questions, but easy to answer. I felt good about how it went.
After that part I was told I would be meeting with my old boss and their outside accountant so they could really drill me. Honestly, that's what I was told; little did I know how true it would be. I obviously know my former boss pretty well, and I had worked with the outside accountant before so at least I knew the people. This is where it got weird. Their questioning was extensive and a little too in-depth, at least from my perspective. I won't go into detail, but it was unlike any interview I've ever been in. I felt like I was interviewing in front of Congress for a Cabinet position.
I knew my former boss was very detailed, but this was crazy. They had pages and pages of questions. Finally the end came, where I was told that they had several others to interview this week, after which they will get the partners together, go over the responses and then determine the final 2-3 to bring back and meet the other partners and to also answer MORE questions.
After my 100 minute interview I walked away wondering if this was indeed someplace I wanted to work. I had these red flags popping in my head. Granted, I'm not sure I will even be asked to come back for the next round, but if I am, is this something I want to continue to pursue?
So what next? I keep my options open. I sent everyone a follow-up thank you card, but at the same time spent a good deal of time yesterday looking for jobs. Saturday I kidnapped Brad and got us both out of the city to explore northeast Ohio wine country and Erie, PA. I needed to escape, as the only thing I could think about was that stupid interview. The wine was bad but the company was great and it was fun to see some new sights. At the end of a long day we headed back home, knowing that however things work out it will be for the best. Hopefully.
1 comment:
Wow! That is absolutely crazy! There's an old saying that you can't go home again, and unfortunately, maybe that will apply here. I personally have not done too much interviewing. The job I got out of college had its red flags which I ignored because I had a theory that my first job would be my forever job...I figured if I tried hard enough I'd make it work. My second job I took out of convenience. It got me out of my situation & I hated it for a very long time. It's nice now with Andrew because it allows me to be as flexible as I need to be to spend time with him at home. My point is only that maybe something looks right on the outside, but it's not quite right when you get to the heart of it. Go through with the next interview if they call you - you are under no obligation to accept a position if it is offered. At the next interview pay serious attention to red flags - trust your gut! Anything that comes up, have a preloaded question about why they are asking you something and that it makes you uncomfortable. Remember that the interview process is there just as much for you as it is for them & feel free to drill back. You are figuring out if this is your fit. It it turns out that it is not, at least you've gotten some practice interviewing!
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