I applied online. The process took 3 weeks. I interviewed at Intertrend (Long Beach, CA) in Jan 2024
Interview
Very welcoming and engaging, my whole department interviewed me at once and were easy to talk to! I felt very supported throughout the process and the head of the internship program was available to me through email every step of the way.
I had 3 interviews and did a take-home assignment with the company. Got an offer that was way lower than my expectation and the offer was rescinded in the end.
Interview questions [1]
Question 1
I had one of the worst interview experiences of my life with Intertrend a while ago.
During my initial conversation with HR, I mentioned my expected salary, and she said it might be too high and would check with the hiring team. After that, I was invited to the next rounds, which led me to believe that the company was comfortable with my salary range. However, when I received the offer after 4 rounds of interviews (including a take-home assignment), it was nearly 20% lower than the number I initially provided. What confused me the most was the lack of communication from HR or the hiring team regarding the significant difference. Feeling invested in the process, I reached out to HR politely to negotiate the package, only to be informed that the hiring manager's number was already above their budget.
While I was debating whether to accept the offer or not, the team requested an additional interview. Following this interview, HR informed me that the offer was rescinded without any explanation. After my inquiry, she told me the offer was considered too high for the role, so the management team decided to take the offer back. This left me feeling shocked and disrespected as a candidate, as I had stated my expected salary from the beginning, if my number (even 20% lower) was not feasible, why proceed with the interviews at all? The entire process was marked by poor communication, and I felt undervalued as a potential employee. The lack of transparency and clarity during this experience was disheartening and totally a waste of my time. Based on my experience, I can not recommend this company at all.
It is a 4 -round interview with one take-home data analysis task. Phone Interview - Interview with the manager - Interview with the associated director - Interview with the director. The interview focuses more on the knowledge of data visualization and media-related knowledge.
Interview questions [1]
Question 1
how much do you understand media, and what are some experiences you work on media-related projects?