Consolidated Graphics Interview Questions & Reviews

Interview Details – Interviewing with Consolidated Graphics was a unique experience.

As far as interviews go, their process (and the questions they ask) will not put any undue stress on most recent college graduates. I arrived around 9 am in the morning and took a tour of the plant before sitting down and having a panel interview with 4 associates. The atmosphere was light and didn't feel as formal as most interviews. Each question they asked was like a fat, juicy knuckleball floating over home plate for a brawny home run hitter to knock out of the ball park. Having interviewed with three other companies already that month (and considering the fact that CGX asks standard questions), I usually knew the answer to the question before the interviewers finished their sentences.

After I aced that part, I interviewed with the president in her office. One of the issues I had with her was the fact that on multiple occasions, she would reference my degree and credentials; suggesting that I would jump at a more lucrative opportunity if given the chance. In reality, she was correct. The pay and benefits package was not impressive. I would have ran to higher ground had I been hired at CGX and subsequently given a better opportunity elsewhere. Even though everything went well, I got the sense that they were going to find any reason they could not to hire me.

My instincts were correct. My interview happened on a Wednesday and by Thursday afternoon, I had already received a brief e-mail stating that they would not be moving forward with me in the process. Even in the worst interviews I've had, the reponse time is usually 3 to 5 days. I don't believe CGX is that efficient. Considering that every answer was smooth and seemed to be exactly what the interviewers wanted (based on their responses), I can only imagine why they were so quick to reject me.

Interview Details – I met Consolidated Graphics at a career fair and got an on campus interview the next day. The man I interviewed with was the president of one of their plants. He asked me to talk about myself and then asked if I had any questions. He took a very long time answering my questions which makes me believe that he would have asked me more behavioral questions if we weren't running out of time. He asked me "What is the hardest decision you've ever had to make?" The interview ended with questions on my GPA and location preference.

Interview Details – I signed up for a campus interview and had a pretty laid back interview. I received an email that said I was no advancing to the next interview but told to try back in the spring (they weren't hiring for spring just yet). Spring rolls around and I got in touch with the HR that had originally said no. She seemed impressed that I had reached back out to her, so she set me up with a associate representative at the local plant.
When I made it to the plant, I went through the typical interview, except it was VERY laid back, but also very scatter-brained. I was shuffled from one place to the next and interviewed by an array of people, two sets of associates, and three upper-management people. The upper-management was more talk about the company and what they could offer me, but also what I could offer them-- very much like a laid back conversation.
The group interviews were with about 6-10 people, first one was casual, conversation, second group was more 'tell me about a time' questions. But overall, a pleasant, laidback interview.

Negotiation Details – I didn't really negotiate because they offer a competitive starting, training, salary, with full-benefits.

Interview Details – I discovered CGX's LDP program through a college career fair. The opportunity seemed promising. I interviewed the next day with the president of the local CGX company and a former associate. Two weeks later I was notified which branch wished to interview me further (it was actually in my hometown). I did a phone interview that week and scheduled an on-site interview 7 days after that. The interview was conducted by recent hires in various stages of the associate program. The president popped in, interrupting the interview, and grilled me with rapidfire and intense questions regarding my background, goals, strengths, experiences, etc (typical interview fare, if you are prepared properly). His aggressive style caught me off guard, but we actually hit it off well. The associates had very few questions. I think it is more to see how you interact with the group, as the job will be "team" environment heavy, and they need to like you. My notion of the position is the more (and well thought out) questions you have for them, the better. I would additionally advise anyone applying to stress their adaptability, flexibility and ability to exceed expectations WITH EXAMPLES. It is very clear that this job requires all of those to be successful (and it is something they're looking for). The rest I think you should figure out for yourselves. We also toured the plant and met most of the employees running the equipment and machines.

Reason for Declining – I declined the offer for a couple of reasons. if i had no other offers, i would have been thrilled to work for CGX. i think that if you are willing to dive in headfirst and overapply yourself, you could see rewards in the future. you certainly would learn the business from the ground up. there is definitely a sense of associates reflecting the business as a whole, and they want you to succeed. however, i did have another fantastic offer which really helped illuminate the weaknesses in CGX by comparison. a) the salary and benefits package didn't even come close to comparing. salary was a good 10K less than my other offer, and the gap in benefits was even greater b) there are no set hours (again, they expect full commitment; you will leave everything you have on the table) and late nights and weekends are expected c) reading between the lines, i picked up interesting vibes from the associates. tensions with existing long-term employees (often older and decidedly blue collar) as well as hellish tasks and mindnumbing repetition. all seen as something you schleck through to reach the "management opportunity" level. there are some others, but these were what were most obvious to me. again, if this is the only real lead on your horizon, it IS a good opportunity. i am just not convinced it is the BEST or ONLY opportunity.

Interview Details – During the interview they asked a lot about the resume and to give examples of how this experience would fit in with the position. Their was a recruiter and one of the company presidents interviewing and they didn't ask anything too specific. They asked multiple scenario questions to judge how you would react in different situations but none really had a right answer.

Interview Details – very normal questions

Interview Details – I interviewed on campus at the career center. A week later, I was invited to go to an on-site interview. I got a tour and spoke with the VP and President of the printing company.

Interview Details – Applied through my school's on campus interview service. A couple weeks later I was awarded an interview at my university's Career Center. Interview took about a half hour. There were two interviewers. The interview was a behavioral interview using the STAR technique(Situation, Task, Action, Result). Overall the interview wasn't difficult, but I wish I had prepared more. I think the interviewer could tell I was thinking up my responses on the fly.