Yesterday I had my onsite interview, where I spoke for 30 minutes each with: 1) the hiring manager; 2) manager of a related work group; and, 2) a would be colleague/fellow Commercial Relations Director. This onsite followed two initial phone interviews, first by the internal recruiting manager, then by the hiring manager. If I had made it through yesterday's round, then I would have gone on to some type of scenario role play "test."
While I was very disappointed in the outcome, I was pleased:
1. That the process was so quick. Although the initial phone interview with the recruiting manager was scheduled for more than 2 weeks out, once held, I was in the system. After speaking with the recruiting manager, she had me speak with the hiring manager the very next day. Following this second call, I was onsite for interviews within 2 business days. And, while not the answer I wanted, I received word in less than 24 hours that I wasn't going to move forward in the process.
2. When I asked for feedback on the interviews, that the recruiting manager picked up the phone and provided personal, meaningful feedback on the interviews, where I faltered, and what I could do to improve. When was the last time that a company actually responded to any request; or if responded, felt that their hands were tied and couldn't say anything. The insights were very helpful.
3. To learn that my instincts were right...Bazaarvoice is a place where I would want to work.
As hard as the lessons were, I learned that:
1. Anything said negatively about a former employer (red flag, right?!), no matter how remote or inconsequential, is a severe no no! Even when I used an example of how I turned around the relationship with one of our largest clients, I should not have said something to the effect that, "Part of the reason we got into that situation to begin with, was that as the leader in our market niche, we, as an organization, had become somewhat arrogant." Really made sense in the context of the story...but any negativity is not to be tolerated.
2. The three interviewers each have specific tasks/areas to watch for. It's not just a matter of finding out who is available to check the guy out.
While it's difficult for many to get to the initial phone interview stage, once there, the overall process was extremely well-run.