Interview process went incredibly quick.
Applied online and was invited for an interview a week later.
Submitted a writing sample (deadline within 48 hours) and background check information. I intentionally was ghosted by HR and the hiring team, until I finally reached out a week later and retracted my candidacy because I received a new position that I felt was a better cultural and professional fit.
Companies should never ghost a candidate who submits a free work assignment, background check information, and follows up twice via email and voicemail. It doesn't matter how busy they are. I highly doubt Magrino PR received 50+ resumes in their inbox for this position. It takes less than a minute to acknowledge someone via email and say, “We’ve decided to move forward with other candidates. Good luck with your search.”
I then discovered the hiring team blocked my current company's social platform on the Magrino PR Instagram (Beyond unprofessional and catty). I always like Magrino PR posts. The hiring team also blocked me on her own personal LinkedIn for no reason. I checked to see if she blocked me on LinkedIn, to determine if she might have been the one behind blocking the company I work for on Instagram --- I oversee their social media pages (A company who has nothing to do with my application to Magrino PR. I'm also leaving the company next week).
I assume the hiring team was very bitter about my email and deciding to withdraw from the Digital Account Manager role.
I am so glad I did not get the job at Magrino PR. I've heard great things about the owners, however, the Sr. leadership team is very catty, unprofessional, bitter and immature. The "mean sorority girl" culture is unproductive and why women struggle to be taken seriously in business.
I strongly believe this is how the Magrino PR Sr. team behaves in the office 95 percent of the time. I wouldn't have lasted more than a month at Magrino PR under the current Sr. leadership team. The hiring team only has experience in boutique agency environments and little known brands. It sort of explains why they might handle situations and application processes the way they did. Lack of corporate experiences can trigger unprofessional and amateur behavior.
I without a doubt dodged a bullet. This type of behavior is what gives boutique agencies a bad name. Edelman PR, Weber Shandwick PR, and Havas PR would never do all of this. It really matches up to what everyone says about Magrino PR on Glassdoor.
Burning bridges seems to be the name of the game with Magrino PR's Sr. team. The Sr. team doesn't care who you know, where you are in your career, or where you might be 10 years from now. What if I was a VP at a major lifestyle brand 10 years from now, showed up at a party that Susan and Allyn are attending, and both women were interested in making the company I work for a new client of Magrino PR? What if I became the CEO of the current start-up company I work for, the company takes off globally and Magrino PR wants to represent or oversee an event we’re having with one of their clients?
I think Susan and Allyn need to clean house a little bit. They are obviously amazing at what they do. Nevertheless, with what they've built I believe they deserve much better professionals representing their agency.
There also seems to be a massive lack of diversity within the company. The agency is prodominently white. I noticed the lack of diversity during my interview process and when I viewed images of employees online. There is one Asian at Magrino PR (A senior staff member) and one black person currently working for the company (An entry-level staff member).
The minimal amount of diversity was a bit odd and skeptical. The Sr. team and junior staff members are all white. The overall environment seems a bit sorority girl. Not my cup of tea.