The initial part of the interview/hiring process was great. The two recruiters that I did phone interviews with were a pleasure and helped me understand the expectations and requirements that were a part of the process. The biggest part of the process was putting together four part business plan covering areas such as: member growth and retention, team growth, and community engagement. This project ended up taking me 30+ hours. I also spent another couple of hours putting together a slide presentation for the business plan, not a requirement but recommended. Why is that important...I'll get to that in a second.
On the day of the interview I got a great tour of their facility led by one of the two recruiters. I felt pretty good going into it. Once the interview started I began to introduce myself with some of my background. Before I could get to my slides on the business plan however, the CEO cut me off and then proceeded to spend the next 30 minutes telling me why I am not a good fit for the position. Amongst them...I hadn't already applied to 5-6 other banks (there are no other Branch Manager positions available in the area except with them). Also he questioned my motivation for seeking the position, which admittedly I don't have any experience in. He made it seem that my motivation was looking for the best pay and benefits I could get. This was probably the most insulting part of the interview. In essence he called me, a complete stranger greedy, nevermind the fact that I had never once in the process asked or inquired what the pay range or potential benefits were. Even after I explained to the interview committee that I was committed to this organization, which is why I cancelled other interviews to focus on this one he, the CEO, was unmoved. He also stated that I would not be a good fit because I didn't explicitly state in my interview that I was wanting to work here my entire career. To be perfectly honest after the first 15-20 minutes of him lecturing me and not allowing me to get a word in I stopped listening to what was being said and could only think about the time and energy that I had expended only to have it be an utter waste of time.
All in all, it was the worst interview experience that I have had to date. The experience soured my outlook on the entire company solely because of the actions of and the way I was treated by the CEO. This is not a company that I would consider working for as long as he is in the position he is in. That is certainly not the way to treat people who want to join your team.