I applied as a Retention Specialist at Verizon's call center in Tampa, FL on the Verizon Careers page on their website. Two days later, I received a call from an HR manager who wanted to set up a phone interview with me. The interview was with a 3rd-party recruiting company who prescreens applicants for potential job offers. They don't ask very specific job-related questions and seemed to focus more on general work skills (dedication, teamwork, punctuality, etc). After the phone interview, I was sent to a training facility on the outskirts of Tampa to complete a skills assessment test which required the use of a headset and the ability to field incoming "calls" from customers. Though it was only a computer simulation, they take it very seriously and you are notified immediately upon completion if you passed or failed. Immediately after your skills assessment test, you take a computer-based personality test that asks a wide range of situational questions, as well as questions related to your past job and/or educational performance. Again, you are notified right away if you passed or failed. If you passed, you are guaranteed a sit-down panel interview with supervisors of the department for which you have applied. The sit-down interview was structured and applicants should know that there is a very big difference between "standard" job interviews and structured interviews. You do not get to ask the interviewers (or panel) questions and they write down everything you say verbatim. They may ask you to slow down or to repeat things and most of the time you'll be looking at the top of their heads. After the structured interview was complete, I was allowed 10 minutes of candid conversation with my panel, which was relieving and it gave me a chance to learn a little more about the people who would soon be supervising me. Immediately after the interview, I was taken on a tour of my department and got a chance to learn about the training program and all of the rules and regulations that go along with it. From the time I got to the panel interview to the time I left the building after the tour ended, over 3 hours had passed. After they called to tell me I had a conditional job offer, I was instructed to go to the nearest LabCorp for a drug screening. Upon this point of contact, I was given my start date and the name of my immediate supervisor. The offer is conditional upon the successful completion of the drug test, criminal and educational background check, and reaffirmation of your interview panel.