Summary: I’m sure State Farm is a great company to work for – it says so on the internet. But I was ridiculously over-dressed for the interview and I expected a more professional environment from a company with their reputation.
I’m old-school when it comes to personal relationships and I just didn’t connect with them. It’s worth noting that I’m fifty-one years old and this isn’t my first county fair. I have a thick skin and never take myself too seriously. I accept and understand why I was not selected for this position; regardless of that, this article contains my perception of the people and the interview process.
I applied online through the company website. I was notified by email 26 days later by email and scheduled the interview for 10 days later. There was no pre-screening or phone interview. I thought that this was odd, considering that I would have to be flown in. The pre-interview arrangements were handled quickly and very professionally by an HR assistant via email and phone including flight, ground transportation and hotel. I was impressed.
Travel day. I had padded an extra day prior to the interview to look at the city. Good thing, because they had booked me on Delta. Routed through Atlanta. Delays. Flight Canceled. Delta Club Room. Bourbon. Little cheese bricks and peanuts. Bourbon. Wait. Bourbon. Wait. Sixteen hours after I was supposed to arrive at my hotel, I arrived at my hotel. Sleep about 6 hours. Holiday Inn Express. Good hotel – great bed.
The company’s own website said to dress professionally and arrive at least 15 minutes early, so I was in the parking lot 20 minutes early, having scoped out the drive from the hotel three hours beforehand. I wore a power suit & tie, blinding black wingtips and a full length black cashmere coat (it was January in Illinois). I was very well prepared, early as usual, and I pretty much knew the personalities, positions and backgrounds of the people I spoke with.
I walked in the door 15 minutes early dressed like the company president. The security officer contacted the department assistant who said, “He’s early – he’s not supposed to be here for another 15 minutes.” She arrived a few minutes after the interview was due to start wearing blue jeans and a happy-design sweatshirt. Uh-oh.
The interior was inhospitable, not well lit. Carpet was a not-so-attractive retro kind of design. The large open area I was led through was dated and a tad musty. On the two mile trek to wherever it is I was going I don’t recall seeing anyone wearing anything dressier than really-comfy-casual. The assistant who escorted me was very nice and conversational, but in the power suit I’m already feeling like a penguin.
The place where we ended up was cubicle-land. It shared the same warm, friendly design concept as the entrance area, but at least I could see better. The cubie walls, furniture, desks, conference tables and file cabinets looked cheap and featureless, not at all what I expected to see at a corporate office. I waited for the first of my two scheduled meetings in a side chair that wobbled. I thought of how funny I would look sprawled on my ass wearing a power suit & tie, but at least I had a great shoe shine.
Eventually I was led into a conference room that was barely big enough for the George Jetson table and four chairs. The older of the two gentlemen (about my age) was dressed biz casual, very relaxed and easy to talk to. The younger gentleman was uptight, leaned forward, and way too intense for my taste. Unfortunately for me, it was this gentleman that would have been my direct supervisor. He was dressed in a worn pull-over shirt and blue jeans. He worked from a pre-printed multi-page form with canned but extremely thorough questions and took lots and lots of notes. The conversation went well and ended professionally and on time.
After another ride in the wobbly chair, I met next with two gentlemen that would have been teammates, both younger than me. Like the first meeting, one was relaxed and conversational, and the other was intense and uncomfortable. The latter worked from a pre-printed multi-page form with canned but extremely thorough questions and took lots and lots of notes. The conference room was even smaller than the first one. And like the first meeting, one liked me, and the other did not.
I was not offered water or a break during the intense, roughly two hour process. After the two interviews were over, I was immediately led back out to the security area. I don’t think I’ve ever had an interview experience that was as impersonal and chilly as this one. I knew then that it was not going to be a “go.”
And then home I go. Let me say before I forget that the Bloomington airport (BMI) is one of those GREAT regionals that you can get in and out of in a hurry – clean place, nice people. The Hertz people at the airport are equally nice.
