I applied on the company's website for 3 different positions: Customer Success Specialist, Implementation Analyst, and Customer Advocate. I got an automated response the following next day for the Implementation Analyst position: "Thank you for your interest in ZenPayroll and for taking the time to apply. We are humbled by the high number of applications for this role. However, after careful review we have decided to pass on your candidacy for the Implementation Analyst position."
3 days later, I got a request for a phone interview from an HR recruiter at ZenPayroll. We will call her M.
Please note, M did not mention on the first email what position it was that she was screening me for. It was on her 2nd reminder email that she had mentioned that it was for the Customer Success Specialist position and reiterated the expectation that I know about publicly available information about ZenPayroll.
M called me on time, and we got the initial phone screening interview rolling. She started off by asking me to take the lead by telling me more about myself, my background, and why I chose to apply to ZenPayroll. Having previously read ZenPayroll's CEO article on how he hires employees, he mentions that he looks to build a team of "owners", not employees, and during an interview he listens carefully to how they (interviewees) describe their experiences. Did they merely list all the responsibilities in their previous job descriptions, or did they talk about driving projects from beginning to end and learning from each of them? With this in mind, I told M about projects I drove at each respective SaaS company that I worked for, and spoke about my accomplishments. M clearly said she was amazed by my descriptive commentary of my previous work experience and then mentioned that she felt I may be over-qualified for the position and asked me if I was okay with accepting an entry-level role. I told her that I carefully pick the companies that I want to work for and believe in the companies that treat their employees right. I expressed why I wanted to work at ZenPayroll (disruptive payroll technology, and company morals), and didn't care how small the position was as it would give me a foot in the door and I would eventually carve out my career path while there.
Towards the end of the call, M asked if I had any questions for her. I had 3:
(1) Is this position a new role or a replacement for someone else? If it is a replacement, what happened to the person who previously held this position? M's answer: We are growing so this is a new position.
(2) Have I said anything today that you feel would hurt my chances for this position? (A note to job seeking candidates, always ask this question at the end of ANY interview). M's answer: No, absolutely not. You have the right experience and qualifications that we are looking for and you did your research on the company so everything was great. The next steps will be sharing my notes with the hiring manager and then getting back to you about an on-site interview. Either way, whatever the decision, you will hear back from me.
(3) How long have you been working for ZenPayroll? M's answer: 2 weeks only. I'm fairly new.
I thanked M for the opportunity and her time, and also reiterated to her that she should let the hiring manager know that they should not be discouraged by the fact that I may seem like an over-qualified candidate.
After 2 hours since the phone interview with M, I sent her a thank you email as a courtesy.
The interview was done on a Friday. I get an email on Monday morning at 9am, and it seems to be an automated email like the one I got for the Implementation Analyst position. The email states the following:
"Thank you for your interest in ZenPayroll and for taking the time to apply. We are humbled by the high number of applications for this role. However, after careful review we have decided to pass on your candidacy for the Customer Success Specialist position."
Thinking this could be a system error, I reached out to M by email.
M promptly responded with the following response (please pardon M's lack of grammatical skills in her first sentence):
"I'm doing well thanks for asking and thanks for reaching out, I apologize for the informal email you felt you received. I am happy to provide feedback on your interview process with us.
Ultimately, there are a few key things we look for in new ZenPayroll team members. Although you showed promise in some areas, we felt you didn't convey the ZenPayroll voice and communication style that we look for.
We really do appreciate the time you spent with us and I hope this addresses your question."
There you have it, ladies and gentlemen. A new, 2 weeks old HR recruiter, deemed that I didn't "convey the ZenPayroll voice and communication style", even when I had asked her to be transparent with me if there was something I had said that would put a doubt on my candidacy for the position.
