The initial interview was by phone, three days after responding to the job posting. It was a pleasant, 40 minute conversation regarding relevant experience, career goals. The interviewer also asked questions relating to my knowledge of the company's product/services. The next step of the interview process was completing a writing assignment consisting of a job description after being given some basic content information. I was contacted the next day to set up an in-person interview. I also needed to provide university transcripts, another wiriting sample- either academic or professional, and again, the resume. To prepare for the interview, I heavily researched the company website, customers, to get a solid grasp of the company, products, and services.
Upon arrival at the in-person interview, I was pleasantly greeted in the reception area. The office itself was very quiet - no other employees were seen in fact. I was walked into a small conference room and given yet another writing assignment to be completed in 10 minutes- an open writing assignment about any topic. The interview consisted of basic questions such as to describe my favorite interview question, describe any difficult or strange interviews conducted in the past, what I do when a candidate declines an offer, etc, I was also given the opportunity to ask questions. Pleasant interviewer but didn't give me the impression of having a strong background in interviewing candidates.
Overall, I found the interview process is quite baffling and inconsistent. Especially since, during the in-person interview, there was such an emphasis on the recruiter role being very "metrics driven". For demanding such initial urgency and robust screening process, it is surprising that it took 2 weeks to receive any post-interview follow up spanning a total of over one month from initial contact to the first round of in-person interviews to be completed. A few days after receiving post-interview follow up, the job was reposted in a larger geographic area seeking a lower experience level.
I would hesitate to be in the recruiter role if this is an indication of the recruitment lifecycle which, for the candidate, breeds disinterest and confidence in a potential employer.