I interviewed with the recruiter over the phone twice which then lead to an in-person interview at the Distribution Center in Pueblo, CO. I arrived at the gate, pressed the call button, and security answered asking me what I was there for. I told them my name and that I was there for an interview for the Operations Manager position. No one was aware of the fact that I was scheduled for an interview - this should have been my first clue. After I finally made it to the building, I was greeted by a team member and was asked to wait in the lobby. About 10 minutes later a different team member came out and told me "I guess I'll take you on the tour because we don't know where the correct team member is." Then after about another minute of confusion and walkie talkie calls, he told me they located her and she would be out shortly - this should have been my second clue. Finally, after about 20 minutes of my arrival, I was finally walking with the correct person. Apparently, the interview starts with a walkthrough of the distribution center.
After my tour, the team member fumbled through a slide deck about how great the organization is and why I should be privileged to work there. She also gave me some Target swag that consisted of a two-pocket paper folder with the Target logo, a Target pen, a Target water bottle, and best of all, a metal Target keychain for which I have absolutely no use. After I was done with this team member, she asked me to wait in a conference room with no lights - this should have been my third clue. I sat in a dark room (there were windows but the blinds were closed) for 45 minutes before someone else came to get me. I'm sure glad I had a bottle of water and a key chain to keep me occupied in the dark! During my drab wait, I could hear the chatter and laughter of other team members on the other side of the wall - I can only assume they were in a lit room.
After a different team member rescued me from my dark abyss and my eyes had a chance to adjust to the hallway lights, I sat with him and a second team member for the second part of the interview. This interview was normal (given the events leading up to now) and consisted of behavioral questions lasting about 30 minutes. After this, I was returned the to conference room but this time this lights were on! Thank you Thomas Edison!
After another 10-15 minute wait, another team member came to get me and took me to his office. This time it was with two team members of the same title but another set of behavioral questions. This interview went, well aside from the fact that one of team member showed a complete lack of interest - this should have been my fourth clue.
After the interview, the team member who showed zero interest walked me to the exit without even offering a handshake - this should have been my fifth and final clue. As you can tell, I wasn't offered a position. Come to find out, after speaking with a current team member whom I know, Management knew well ahead of time who they were going to hire. I learned that there were two openings for Operations Managers and one was filled from an out of state transfer from another Target DC and the other was already at the Pueblo site being groomed by Senior Management. Needless to say, I was merely an external pawn used to meet their interview quota.
Another point to make is prior to the interview; the recruiter makes the applicant feel like they are ahead of the curve by providing them with a link for behavioral questions and how to answer them. The first team member you will interview with also gives interview tips after the tour. I have had numerous behavioral interviews over the years so I and pretty familiar with the process, so this was nothing new for me. But the fact that both the recruiter and an on-site team member are telling you how to answer the questions with the panel only adds to the fact that Senior Management already knows who they are going to hire.