Let me be clear. You can see right above this text that 'no offer' was given and that I had a 'negative experience.' You still need to read this. This is the quintessential Fast Training Coordinator interview experience. I went through the whole process and was ultimately rejected, so yes--I’m upset with Fast--full disclosure. Every person until the last (and most influential) interviewer, made me feel important; like I had a legitimate shot at working for Fast. Perhaps you can learn from my experience to land this tedious, but well-paying job. This is why everyone loves this company, because they buy your love. Don't get me wrong...my love was for sale too.
I was lucky because a friend who works there referred me. The rest is on you.
REAL JOB QUALIFICATIONS:
-A bubbly personality
-Book smarts, NOT street smarts
-Above a 3.0 GPA in college (yes, they ask for transcripts)
-ZERO experience (they want moldable minds--applicable experience is NOT an asset)
-And of course, the other skills listed on Glassdoor
1st and 2nd interviews are phone screenings. They ask basic interview questions, which you should be ready for. They'll ask what you know about the company, the position, and a few “tell me a time when you solved a [generic problem]” questions. Do your homework and be positive, and you’re good.
The REAL interview in Centennial is a trip. An adventure. A bona-fide professional experience. Round-trip flight and a night in a hotel is on Fast. Now I must be careful what I disclose, because someone from HR will read this and change it up. The experience:
1. It starts with a tour of the HQ from a nice young employee (it’s great--they wish they were Google)
2. Next, a 30-minute multiple-choice IQ test. I won’t say what to study, cause they’ll change it, but try and find practice IQ exams online. I aced mine. 28/30 correct. No lie.
3. Now they take the test away and a new girl comes in to interview you. She’s the one you need to impress. Everyone before this no longer matters. She's the gatekeeper. I didn’t stand a chance against her. This takes over an hour. It starts with a few “what do you know about the company” questions, but quickly moves into situational topics. I will try to recall as many as possible below.
4. Next is a logic problem on the board--a brainteaser. They want to see you work through the steps of the problem to see how you think (or if you can). Some of the ones written by other people here are right on. I won’t say which one I got, because they will change it and you’ll be screwed.
5. Next you must teach a 5-minute lesson on anything you want. I went with something software-related. But they want you to show them how to make a cup of coffee properly, or how to weave a basket. Not kidding. Keep it simple, but with lots of details (contradictory, don't you think). Do not go over 5 minutes. I did. It hurt when she glanced at the clock.
6. To conclude, she’ll ask you if you have any questions. But they’ve asked this 5 times already, so you better spread out your questions over the interviews.
The moral of the story is that I went wrong somewhere. I’m not even sure where. They took a week for the verdict. BUT they take you to lunch/dinner after the interview if they’re going to hire you. I didn’t get taken to dinner, and I didn’t get hired. That’s how you know. Another friend who interviewed 2 weeks before me was taken to dinner after her interview. She got an offer a week later.
One strange (and sexist) observation of mine (and inside the organization) is that this is a job for cute young women, not ambitious young men. The firm has a young, ‘work hard play hard’ culture. However, the division of labor is obvious--the boys do the coding, the girls do the training, HR, etc. Of course, there are exceptions to the rule. But seriously, go on their LinkedIn profile--some of their women employees look like they could be models for the Silicon Valley Swimsuit Calendar, if that was a thing. I'm getting off-topic.
I got no offer after KILLING the IQ test, solving the brainteaser, teaching a lesson RELATED to software, and having an answer to virtually all questions thrown at me. Look, my GPA wasn’t impressive. I learned much about adult life in school and frankly, doing homework was not my top priority. If only my parents paid for everything; if I had all the time in the world to just be a student and nothing more. But I digress..
If I had won over the interviewer, I might have made it. Be likable more than anything. Be funny but not too funny. Be clever but not too clever. And if you don't get taken to lunch/dinner after your interview, start applying to new companies the moment you're through the TSA checkpoint and waiting for your flight home. I was more prepared than most. But, I'm sure they interviewed a nice girl earlier in the day with a 3.97 GPA, very few life skills, and well--she probably got taken to lunch.