I did a phone screen for a Project Manager/Coordinator position that I had applied for. Prior to that I had been sent an email with links to projects the company had done and was asked to review them and discuss them during the interview. Initially the interview was fairly straightforward, the usual questions about tech skills and mgmt experience. That went fine, but when it came time to discuss the websites, it became apparent that they were screening me to determine my religious beliefs (the "TRI" in Trinet is for Trinity, as in the Holy Trinity). The interviewer asked me which sites appealed to me and I gave feedback on three of the corporate (secular) sites and one for a charity. She kept asking me about the other sites, if any of them "appealed to me" and I kept going back to the secular sites, not wanting to discuss the religious sites (or religion at all). We played that game for a while and then a few more personal questions along the lines of hobbies and interests outside of work. I normally don't mind those kinds of questions but in this case I knew why they were being asked. I thought I could sense some disappointment in her voice when it became obvious I wasn't a born again Christian and had no interest in becoming one. Overall I thought the interview went well and I was told that I would be called back on Friday (2 days later) to schedule an in-person interview with the hiring manager but they never did call. I would have done a second interview if called, but probably would not have taken the job based on the phone interview and other things I had read about the company (Glass Door and other websites).

I was first contacted by Trinet at approximately 2pm on a Wednesday at which point I was interviewed by the Recruiting Assistant for almost an hour. All the folks at Trinet seem to be very much into lists (give me your five greatest strengths/weaknesses, three reasons why...) and this interview was no exception. I thought it was very thorough for an initial phone screening but either way once this concluded I was asked if I would be available to Skype at 5:30pm with employees in the West Coast office. In all I spoke to four individuals during this round which was also a bit awkward given that they all seemed to be in the same room as the laptop with the webcam was passed around. In addition to the standard line of questioning I was also asked about charity work, what type of phone and computer do I use, and what I am passionate about. After this concluded I was asked if I had any availability later in the evening to speak with the Operations Manager which again I thought was a bit excessive but agreed to do so because I was very much interested in the position. This round of questioning was more of what you would expect during the phone screening but I was thankful I was not asked to again break my personal and professional life down into lists. After the interview with the Operations Manager concluded I was asked to go into the Alexandria office to interview with an employee the next day. I very much enjoyed my conversation with the employee and given that things seemed to be progressing positively I felt the time I put in over such a short and intense period was very well worth it. The next day I was then asked to provide a list of four reference and they began the process of contacting them. One of my references was read off a list of thirty attributes and asked to grade me on each. After my references were contacted (Friday) the position was re-posted on Craigslist (Monday). That clearly was not a good sign and of course it is rather unorthodox to contact references if you are unprepared to make a decision. I did not hear back from Trinet until the end of that next week at which point they asked for me to take part in an additional round of interviews the following Thursday (I was asked to keep 430pm – 7pm open) in their Alexandria office with four more employees. To be perfectly honest at this point I had already invested so much that I figured I would see it through to the end. Much of the same questioning was repeated and lasted just an hour. After I got home that evening I received a call from the COO asking me to come back in at 9am the next day for an additional round of questions. I was very close to just parting ways at this point but for some reason I felt the necessity to see this thing through to the end and I am very glad I did. This final round of questioning had its similarities to many of the other rounds but there were several questions peppered in that I will leave up to the reader to judge. Some of these questions were: What happened in the last ten years (in the world – provide a summary)? If you were an animal on a merry-go-round which one would you be and why? What three things do you value most in this world? After answering many of these mission critical questions I had one of my own: What is the biggest challenge facing Trinet today? The answer to this question was “finding the right people”. I believe much can be discovered about a potential employer through the interview process. From getting to understand the cultural aspects, to seeing how decisions are made, to getting a feel of how you would potentially be treated should you become an employee. Going through this process solidified for me my decision to accept an offer with another company (full disclosure - I still have not heard back from Trinet two weeks later) and I would venture to guess I am not the first. Continuous feedback for me is integral for both my personal and professional growth and it is my hope that Trinet takes a critical look at how they go about finding the right people.