I applied for this role about a month after the position had been originally posted. Based on my late application, I wasn’t expecting a response, but thought it wouldn’t hurt to try. So I was surprised when I heard back about a month after submitting my application. Being contacted for an interview two months after the position had been posted raised some red flags. Unfortunately, additional red flags continued throughout the process.
At the start of my initial virtual interview with the hiring manager, I waited nearly 15 minutes for him to join before I finally decided to end the session. I even tried calling the scheduling coordinator and emailing them about the issue halfway through my long wait. When the hiring manager finally replied to my message after I disconnected, I was shocked when he tried to convince me that there must have been a technical issue on my end and that he was waiting the whole time! This did not explain why no one tried to contact me by phone or email within the initial 15 minutes to ask me if I had joined the session or if there was an issue. Also, based on another candidate's review on this site, this same same issue appears to have happened at least once before! Therefore, I suspect the hiring manager’s excuse regarding the technical issue on my end was a fabrication to save face. This is unprofessional behavior and speaks poorly to the organization’s interview practices and how they treat candidates.
When I was invited to continue to the next stage of the process a week later, I was asked to complete three assignments and was given a week to complete them. However, before deciding to proceed further, I wanted to inquire about their compensation range to make sure it was aligned with my expectations. They tried to assure me that the level of compensation I was targeting was within their range, but I sensed reluctance based on how vague they were with numbers and their awkward reaction to what I was seeking.
I then proceeded to the assignment stage of the interview process, which I felt was unnecessary since I had a substantial amount of work samples that could be reviewed in my online portfolio. The amount of time required to complete their three assignment pieces felt excessive (close to 6 hours) compared to similar assignments I had completed for other companies (which only required 1-2 hrs max). The assignments they gave me appeared to be poorly developed both visually (crooked photocopies of their training documents) and structurally (could have been easily condensed into one shorter assignment and still allowed them to assess everything they needed).
I was then invited to a panel interview where I was told I would present my work and be asked questions about my approach to completing the assignments. However, I was very disappointed when the majority of the panel members made me aware, based on their questions, that they had not looked at my résumé and/or portfolio which I had already shared with the hiring manager. It also became apparent that they had not taken the time to look at my assignment work in advance because they had not prepared any related questions for me. I couldn't understand how the team could possibly assess my skills without taking the time to get to know me. At one point, I noticed there were several panel members who were leaving the interview session abruptly and then coming back later on. But what struck me the most was that one of the panel members, who seemed to be highly respected and was the most talkative during the interview, was spending large amounts of time looking at her phone when I was speaking and was clearly not paying attention as I could see her phone within the camera frame. This entire experience was distracting and felt very unorganized and unprofessional.
Shortly afterward, it became apparent that there were additional interview stages being planned and that the overall process was now headed beyond three months since I originally applied (something that is not normal for an individual contributor role). I was not impressed with what I had experienced up to this point and quickly withdrew my application. I then moved on to a new opportunity with another company where I went through a painless interview process in three weeks that turned into a job offer for a manager role. Unfortunately, it appears Wilson is stuck in a very outdated process that will continue to work against them.