I applied online. I interviewed at Medidata Solutions (New York, NY) in June 2017
Interview
For a company that prides itself on a thorough and positive candidate process I was surprised by my experience. First, the recruiter scheduled our call for a day and time I did not indicate I was available, simply assuming I’d make it work (I did, for fear of losing the opportunity all together). The next two calls consisted of the same conversation I had with the recruiter. Both women I spoke to started the interview late, had no knowledge of my background, and asked the same exact questions. They say their process is thorough, but it came off as redundant, and ultimately a waste of time; I withdrew.
I applied through a staffing agency. The process took 1 day. I interviewed at Medidata Solutions (New York, NY) in Jan 2014
Interview
I was interviewed by 2 HR Execs as well as one department head in back-to-back interviews.
I was taken aback, confused and utterly offended when I was asked my country of origin, ethnicity, marital status, and whether or not I have children during the interview process.
One of the HR execs I met with also told me that she didn't agree with me being interviewed at all - had it been up to her, she never would have invited me in to interview in the first place.
This was, hands down, the most unprofessional and poorly executed interview process I've ever witnessed. And as an HR professional myself - and someone whose experience is highly sought after - I'm very well aware of the do's and don'ts for interviewing and this experience was a case study in what NOT to do.
I wasn't surprised when I didn't receive an offer as the C-Level exec interviewing me essentially told me that she had already made up her mind about me the moment she saw my face.