The interview process was incredibly tedious. In order to be considered for the position initially, I had to speak with a recruiter on the phone. After recruiter approval, I was asked to come onsite to take several assessment tests. The tests consisted of a grammar test, a spelling test, a logic test, an online critical thinking test, and, lastly, an online test to evaluate your skills for specific Microsoft software, including: Word, Excel and PowerPoint. The assessments took approximately 3-4 hours to complete. The last assessment included an "in-basket." I think it is required for anyone applying for an administrative position (though to be perfectly honest, I don't believe the "Project Associate" position (the position I was applying for) included administrative duties. Who knows, though? Regardless, the "in-basket" included a bunch of fake memos and documents. As a fake admin assistant to a fake boss at a fake company, I was supposed to respond to these memos and documents. I believe the exercise was intended for you (as the admin assistant) to organize your boss' schedule, catch conflicting appointments, and prove that you could write and conduct yourself in a professional manner. This assessment took me about 4 hours to complete.
Once all assessments were completed, I was then brought in for a formal interview. I was interviewed by 3 managers, separately, for about an hour and 15 minutes each. Each interviewer asked me questions in a STAR format: s/he would ask me to talk about a series of questions and I would have to provide a specific Situation or Task, what Action I took for that situation, and lastly, what was the Result of that action. For example, the interviewer asked me to discuss a time when I worked with others as a team, or a time where I worked with a fellow co-worker and conflict arose.
Since the company focuses on talent management, I am not surprised that their interviewing process was thorough, intimidating and completely unnecessary. To this day, I honestly have no idea why I had to take so many assessments for a job that seemed tantamount to a data entry job. And though in hindsight I'm glad that I didn't get a job offer out of all of this, I think the reason why I didn't get the job is because I didn't test well. I'm not the most amazing standardized tester, and the recruiter I worked with gave me no clues as to why I didn't get the job. This is why I believe that I didn't get the job because I didn't test well.
On that note, I'd like to stress how unhelpful the recruiter was. I spoke and met with her multiple times, and she could never give me a clear explanation of what the job title was. I find that a little baffling. There were plenty of times she could have spoke with who would have been my manager for a better understanding of what the position entailed, but to this day, I have no idea if she did so. Whenever I met with her, she is always reading scribbled notes from her legal pad, clearly reading out loud a canned description of the position. That definitely made me wary.
If you are interviewing for a job there, make sure to brush up on your Word/Power Point/Excel skills, spelling and grammar, and reading/critical thinking skills (you will be tested on it). The dress code is business (women, wear a suit!), and be as formal as possible.
