Initial interview. "Homework": 1. To survey businesses regarding their uniform programs. To summarize in a presentation and present. 2. To summarize a company document regarding the position and present as a ppt presentation. It took me a couple of hours to prepare a job application. It took me half a day to arrive at the interview location and get back home. It took my friend half a day to watch my baby. It took me a week to conduct the survey and collect leads. It took me a week to summarize, read, write, put in a ppt presentation and rehearse both presentations multiple times a day. It took me another half a day to arrive at the interview location. My friend wasted another half a day of her life. I didn't get the position and that is fine. But to get the "we decided to go in a different direction" 2 lines email and repeatedly ignore my polite emails and phonecalls asking for a decent feedback? So I could be a better candidate for another company? Really? Thumbs down, UniFirst.

The interview process was extensive and involved multiple stages. I first interviewed with a recruiter, followed by a virtual interview with the sales manager. That was then followed by an in person interview with the sales manager and the plant GM, which included delivering a PowerPoint presentation. After that, I completed a final interview with the regional sales manager via Teams. Approximately 30 minutes after the final interview, the recruiter called to express strong enthusiasm about extending an offer and mentioned awareness that I had another offer pending. I was transparent about the competing offer from a direct competitor and was told the sales manager would follow up the next day. During that follow up call, the offer was withdrawn, with the explanation that they could not come close to the competing compensation. There was no opportunity for discussion or negotiation, which was surprising given the role was a sales position and the job posting referenced competitive pay. Overall, the process took approximately two weeks and required me to take time off work to attend the in person interview. Given the outcome, the time investment did not feel respected. Based on my experience, I would recommend clarifying compensation alignment earlier in the process to avoid similar situations for future candidates. It seems like their concern is not with quality sales reps. It's with who they can pay the lowest amount.