It was an insanely intense process and a horrible experience. I had a phone screening first (standard), then I met with one other person – in this interview, I had to create a campaign concepts and a brief for a faux company. This was pretty involved and the ask demanded several hours of work prior to the interview. Fine, fair. Interview went great. I got a lot of praise. Interviewer said he was very happy with what he saw. I felt pretty confident.
The next interview is where things got weird (and dark). They scheduled a "culture" interview to learn more about me. I was thinking it would be questions like "what are your hobbies?" or "what shows are you watching?" If only. It started out innocently enough – there were tough, but expected questions like "what's one thing about yourself you don't want us to know?" But as the interview progressed, it got weirder and weirder.
There was a question about why I am the way that I am (I had stated I was driven). I said I'd overcome some things in my life that made me want to excel. They poked and prodded until I basically had to elaborate on my personal tragedies and traumas. Next thing I know, I'm explaining my abusive childhood and a high school friend committing suicide to two strangers on a professional call!
I was so stunned, visibly upset and on the verge of tears. But I felt like if I wasn't honest, it would impact my chances at a job. Then, once I shared, I felt like I was being penalized for having trauma at all. Ironically, this interview was traumatic.
It was a huge red flag, but I tried to justify it. I thought maybe this is why they have such a high retention rate. But soon after, I was turned down for the job without so much as a "thank you."
The whole process made me feel violated and ashamed. But Jump 450 should be ashamed. They need to do better. Interviewers are in a position of power and they took advantage of that.