I am so confused.

9 Comments

1. AnonymousMarch 26,2024 at 1:38PM UTC

   Their loss not yours. These invasive and grueling interview rounds for jobs other than executive leadership are wasteful for the company and you. Sounds like a crummy place to work. Move on.

2. Holly HillMarch 26,2024 at 2:34PM UTC

   Honestly, this is just ridiculous. And, NO, this is not how is it done at larger companies. Yes, they may require some "how you creative problem solve" questions but this is just plain stupid. Move on.

3. AnonymousMarch 26,2024 at 2:35PM UTC

   If nothing comes of it, it's great practice and good expose to a multitude of screening test.

4. AnonymousMarch 26,2024 at 3:38PM UTC

   Sometimes, it's more important to see how someone deals with pressure than the actual test itself. Employers are often checking for time management and prioritization skills.

   Don't lose heart. The company I work for asked me to take several skills tests. After the first one, I took a break and talked to my husband. Although he tried to comfort me, I was still frustrated. However, I went on to take all the tests required. When I asked for my results, the company did not provide them. Instead, they hired me despite the fact that I knew I had bombed one of the tests and did not even finish it. After being hired, I joked with my manager, saying that they were just checking on my time management skills, my ability to prioritize questions, and my willingness to make the best guess and move on. The smile on her face said it all. That was their objective!

5. AnonymousMarch 26,2024 at 6:15PM UTC

   My husband has had to deal with that kind of thing a few times. The most recent one he was so aggravated he was going to just quit without finishing. I encouraged him to just finish it since he'd already gotten that far (this was the last of 3). They offered him the job

   Told him he had the highest score of anyone who applied in that round.

6. Sidney BristowMarch 26,2024 at 9:48PM UTC

   I bombed on one of these tests too. Just did what I could with the information, shook hands on the way out, looking to hear from you, but I knew that was the last I'd hear from them.

   I too was embarrassed and dismayed, crawling back home. But they did call and offered me the job. Others are right - it may be a test of what you fo under pressure.

7. Joan Williams, Senior Talent Acquisition SpecialistMarch 27,2024 at 2:07AM UTC

   I am so sorry this is the candidate experience you had.

   First off, there's nothing for you to feel embarrassed about. Personally, I hate those asynchronous interviews. Refused to do them as a candidate, won't use them as a recruiter.

   You don't mention what you do - is this the typical interview process for your space? Did you know what the interview process would look like?

   If you're not already doing so, I would start asking what the rest of the interview process will look like going forward. That way you can decide if you want to invest so much time and effort.

   I know it's hard, but one thing I recommend to candidates is that they not become too emotionally invested - for their own mental health. The job search process these days is a marathon, not a sprint. Be enthusiastic, yes but do your best and let it go. Because that's all you can do. If you feel you didn't do your best, learn from that and do better next time. But please don't beat yourself up.

   I work for a large global company and worked for one of the largest companies on the planet before that. At both, interviews were conducted over the phone or on Microsoft Teams before typically an on-site visit for the last round.

   After receiving this treatment, I would think long and hard about if you would want to work for a company that treats their applicants like this. This is when they should be putting their best foot forward, trying to impress you. What if that IS their best? Imagine what it might be like to work there.

   You never know, they may still come back to you with an offer. The only one who should feel embarrassed in this story is them - not you.

8. AnonymousMarch 27,2024 at 1:34PM UTC

   I'm a senior bookkeeper... think all the facets of an A/P clerk, A/R clerk, payroll administrator, and assistant to the CFO in one package. The role is mid level experience and I am well qualified on every other line item in their job description... but I have the growing suspicion that they're looking for a CPA... which if that *is* what they're doing, they're grossly underpaying for that level of experience. I don't do taxes, and never claimed I did. I also explicitly stated that I have extensive experience in the specific hardware they're using for their financials... and then 80% of their questions had to do with creating custom dashboards and accounting by hand (like pen and paper accounting... which I am EXTREMELY rusty on. Very, very few people do pen and paper accounting anymore).

   I think you're right. I'll have to think hard about an offer, if it comes (so far I seem to have completely fallen off their radar after being in contact every day).

   I'm trying not to get too emotionally invested, but as you know, it is VERY hard. They advertised a 5 star benefit package and remote flex time, which is pretty much my unicorn set up right now for many reasons. It's hard to have this one get away too. And I've been searching for 4 months now. It's exhausting. I got far quickly with this... it feels like I slammed into a brick wall.

9. AnonymousMarch 27,2024 at 5:35PM UTC

   Yes thanks to the advent of automation and most companies not spending to hire great talent teams who actually know how to properly interview this is becoming the norm. Don't beat yourself up about it if it doesn't pan out clearly their culture is not a fit for you. I once interviewed for a major company that was on the upswing and was a unicorn at the time. They put me through 5 months of nonsense like that after recruiting me ( I was not an applicant) and then at the end stage they basically tried to tell me my small company experience wasn't quite right and then I wrote a rebuttal to the head of the department telling them off in a professional non-confrontational way. They loved it! and offered me the job. It was the worst company I worked for in my whole career (yes, I was dumb enough to accept the job after all that) and realized 2 quarters in that their culture and style of working was just like their interview process, a mess. Now their stock is trading as junk stock so I dodged the bullet by quitting 6 months in....Good luck and find a place that treats you with professional respect and such during the interview process because that is what you will get after joining.