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aaudetat
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I mean, really? THIS is how you recruit? 20 Feb 2008, 19:45
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Company A invited me to their home HQ to interview. I was scheduled to interview for 2 positions, but they recently added a third opportunity and were kind enough to put me up for that, too. EXCEPT:

The 5 events I had that day were in 4 different building scattered through the downtown, which required lots of packing up my stuff and schlepping down the street....each time I changed events. This kind of thing stresses me out. Plus, it snowed. AND that third opportunity they added? The guy who arranged my travel says, oh, we've squeezed you in! Lots of time! Great!

But then I check out my itinerary...NO TIME! Must run! 10 minute interview - wretched - followed by jaunt to airport, followed by missed flight, including tears because really, I am so done.

And now they've got another role for me, and I've got an interview on FRIDAY, which I found out about today....and only it's two interviews in TWO CITIES! They're renting me a car so I can drive from one interview to the next. I mean, really? REALLY??

And why do I keep doing this? I have other offers!

sigh.

-aau
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rhyme
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I mean, really? THIS is how you recruit? 20 Feb 2008, 21:49
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Aau,

I think I know what firm we are talking about.... is this in the city-pair you and I were both targeting? If so, you'll be happy to know that I'm probably withdrawing. P.S. Don't tell them... I'm not 100% sure I am withdrawing just yet...
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I mean, really? THIS is how you recruit? 21 Feb 2008, 04:23
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aaudetat

And why do I keep doing this? I have other offers!

sigh.

-aau
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Usually recruiting is a good time to really learn a bit more about the culture of companies (more so than the canned responses you may get from their current employees, even if they're at a dinner and pretending to be really open about it). Sometimes HR practices don't reflect the company as a whole, but you can get a feeling out of what went on. In this particular case: where your interviewers not from HR? If so, were they surprised at your packed schedule? Did they apologize for the situation, laughed at it or ignored it?

I'm not saying the company is bad per se, all I'm saying is that it looks like the type of company:
- where people try to seize every opportunity (hey! extra job chance! and hey! 2 more!),
- does not plan too rigidly nor in too much detail.
- does not care that much about people having to travel back and forth in between cities in the US.
- is not that great about perks (rent a car vs. refund for cab).

L.
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I mean, really? THIS is how you recruit? 21 Feb 2008, 05:38
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Hi aau, wow that sounds like a lot of work in itself. Good luck! I hope something you really like pans out for you soon.

Lepium, sometimes, companies do this to see if you can adjust to similar demands on the job. For example, at my company I know my CEO made one college senior take a plane ride to Chicago, a train ride in chicago and a cab (when he could have just as well told the guy to take a cab to the office from the airport) for an interview because he knew the guy had never stepped out of bloomington, Indiana before and wanted to see if he could figure his way around and make it :)
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I mean, really? THIS is how you recruit? 21 Feb 2008, 06:13
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do you really want this job? man this is pathetic -sounds like a school days boot camp
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I mean, really? THIS is how you recruit? 21 Feb 2008, 06:22
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No, I don't. I was sort of interested before I got here, I'm totally disinterested now.
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I mean, really? THIS is how you recruit? 21 Feb 2008, 06:38
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Wow. Yeah, that's crazy. I wonder how you are putting up with it. Part of the reason I want to stick to IT is the culture. Even though I would like to move to GM, I am concerned about a more conservative culture in other industries. Well, this of course seems beyond just conservative.
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I mean, really? THIS is how you recruit? 21 Feb 2008, 09:33
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I have done the booth thing in a company's head office.

Four 30 minute interviews. One couldn't make it. Two turned up 15 minutes late.

I didn't get the offer (I wouldn't mind, but it was my first choice company - though not without some concerns), but I would at least have liked to have felt I had a chance at a shot. Everyone else I spoke to had at least three full interviews.

Relatively shambolic. The point of being on their site makes you think they could at least find someone to interview you, or make it on time (though the industry does give risk of things happening, you can have a back-up, right?).
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I mean, really? THIS is how you recruit? 21 Feb 2008, 12:12
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This thread would be better with company names. We bad mouth schools and their horrible practices at times why not name some companies. Personally if any of these happen to me, no matter what the company would pay me, I wouldnt go work there.
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I mean, really? THIS is how you recruit? 21 Feb 2008, 12:14
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rhyme
It gets better...

Lunch was supposed to be attended by employees. Maybe some showed up, but none sat at my table. After about 20 minutes, having finished lunch, I decided to try and catch an early flight. I ran into the head recruiter, thanked him for his time and efforts, expressed interest in the role and explained that I was going to try and catch an earlier flight .... he looks straight at me and says: "Lunch ends in 20 minutes". I explain again that I'm catching an earlier flight and he says "Lunch ends at XXXX". I asked him flat out if I was not allowed to leave and he said I wasn't.

I left anyway.
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Wow! This just gets worse. I've had good and bad interviews after my masters, but none even came close to this "Full Metal Jacket" experience. Without revealing the company name, is this for a general management or rotational program position?

At tech companies like Intel, the booth system is popular. I've had 4-5 hrs of interviews seated in the same seat with interviewers rotating every 45 mins. Some of them started checking the watch at the 30min mark. I always felt like I was in a cattle exhibition :roll: For the most part, tech companies treat you well.
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I mean, really? THIS is how you recruit? 21 Feb 2008, 12:52
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Rhyme - did you connect with Jess? she had the same impression. Weird.

ok, off to the airport...
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I mean, really? THIS is how you recruit? 21 Feb 2008, 13:47
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riverripper
This thread would be better with company names. We bad mouth schools and their horrible practices at times why not name some companies. Personally if any of these happen to me, no matter what the company would pay me, I wouldnt go work there.
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Agreed.
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I mean, really? THIS is how you recruit? 21 Feb 2008, 14:53
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Rhyme, good for you for leaving!
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I mean, really? THIS is how you recruit? 21 Feb 2008, 15:37
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aaudetat
Rhyme - did you connect with Jess? she had the same impression. Weird.

ok, off to the airport...
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Yea we had lunch together. Nice girl.

To be honest, I think EVERYONE had the same impression. At the airport, we were pretty much in hysterics and all of us were looking at each other like "What the heck was that?" .. Its funny, I honestly believe they lost 50% of their candidates today. A LOT of people were talking about the unannounced "surprise" 6am wake up call.
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I mean, really? THIS is how you recruit? 21 Feb 2008, 16:14
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riverripper
This thread would be better with company names. We bad mouth schools and their horrible practices at times why not name some companies. Personally if any of these happen to me, no matter what the company would pay me, I wouldnt go work there.

Agreed.
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Co-sign x 2
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I mean, really? THIS is how you recruit? 21 Feb 2008, 17:25
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riverripper
This thread would be better with company names. We bad mouth schools and their horrible practices at times why not name some companies. Personally if any of these happen to me, no matter what the company would pay me, I wouldnt go work there.
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Yes, this way, the company may find out they are being 'bad-mouthed' and improve their recruitment processes and practises. Did anyonr bring up the poor practises the company employed during the meetings?
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I mean, really? THIS is how you recruit? 21 Feb 2008, 19:35
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Also very interested in which companies recruit like this.

River has a good point, be discuss schools in honest, why not the companies? It is all with the same goal of helping each other out, and I am sure none of us would want to go through that experience.

~Sam
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I mean, really? THIS is how you recruit? 21 Feb 2008, 19:49
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Do you guys provide reports to your schools. I know my undergrad surveyed us after we had recruiting events. One would think that the career services office would be interested in this.

If you dont want to say the company whats the industry. MC, GM...??
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I mean, really? THIS is how you recruit? 22 Feb 2008, 01:04
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Wow, very interesting story Rhyme & Aau.. eager to hear more..
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I mean, really? THIS is how you recruit? 22 Feb 2008, 09:05
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riverripper
This thread would be better with company names. We bad mouth schools and their horrible practices at times why not name some companies. Personally if any of these happen to me, no matter what the company would pay me, I wouldnt go work there.
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+1

In addition, the posters aren't really "bad mouthing" the companies. The reviews seem entirely objective and restrained. So let's hear which company we should all avoid in the future.
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