Somewhat lengthy, lot's of "radio silence" in between and ended with a disappointing bang!
Initially had a couple of calls with the corporate office in Ohio and she was warm and wonderful. She saw a lot of potential in my background, communicated authentically and spoke very highly of their culture and goals for the fit of the candidate chosen. I was excited and looked forward to each communication thinking this was an excellent start to process. Finally, we were scheduled to meet in person and a secondary manager.
First meeting went as expected, she radiated confidence and warmth-it was clear she would be incredible to work with, she was incredibly transparent, honest and was very clear if she didn't have an answer on a specific "in the field" type of question and I had high hopes of what my second in person meeting would be like. She also suggested for me to ask the second interviewer some of the same questions as she not only wanted me to get different perspectives but also wanted to know if she was on base with the rest of her team. That was refreshing and such a great way to inspire trust and foster open dialogue with potential hires.
The next interview with the second person was a disaster. She was frosty, unfriendly and embarrassed herself with unprofessional and absolutely ridiculous questions. It was uncomfortable and I thought perhaps I was on candid camera. Her opener was "Why are you sitting in front of me?" The silly questions never one time centered around the position, my experience, my approach to difficult situations, work ethic...nothing. She abruptly ended the interview after about 15 questions she must have pulled from google and didn't so much as make an effort to part ways professionally with a salutation or hand shake. The entire experience with her was insulting.
There was to be a sales assessment, a potential "ride along" with the person currently in this position and perhaps another step or two. I was told that I'd hear back within the next week or so to schedule these items before their big National Sales Meeting.
I didn't hear back from them at all. For people so amped on their culture, their vibe, their kindness I would like to suggest that when interviewing for positions with your company it would go a long way to communicate effectively and share your decision either way on each candidate. You can tell a lot about people and a company by how they treat people they deem of no value. Emailing is free and it would take two seconds to say "thanks but no thanks!" and it is good practice to be true to your word. If you have additional components to an interview process and you have shared those with your candidates, to not complete them is unprofessional and discourteous.
For this position you are interviewing people with several years of potentially high level experience and to drop the ball like this was really telling of your company and what the hired candidate could expect moving forward.
