GSI Commerce Interview Questions & Reviews

Interviewed Jan 2009 in Eau Claire, WI (took a day)

GSI posted the position internally. It was for a position titled "Training Specialist II," which was responsible for creating training materials and assisting superior Training Specialists with preparation and training. Originally applied for the position in early December of 2008 and heard nothing of the position for over a month, at which point, I was pulled off the floor without notice towards the end of seasonal. In the moment, I actually thought my team lead was sending me off so they could officially end my seasonal employment now that Christmas was done. To my surprise, it was an interview for the Training Specialist II position I had applied for over a month prior (see recent review on GSI, in general, where I noted their utter lack of communication as one of the pitfalls).

During the interview, I was asked five questions off of a small 8.5"x5" template that, to me, seemed totally irrelevant to the position, with one exception, "rate your experience or skill level with Microsoft Office." In hindsight, I should have given myself a 4.5 out of 5 for overall skill level and knowledge; but, I was, in the moment, rating myself against experts and she was rating me against average users. Compared to average users, I know my way around most tech-related things, in general, well enough that average users think I'm a pro; but, I gave myself a 3.5 overall since my Access knowledge is presently non-existent and my Excel knowledge only slightly above average. She saw a 3 as practically ignorant, whereas I saw a 3 as practically proficient. She saw a 4 as minimally necessary and practically proficient, whereas I saw a 4 as an advanced novice. She saw a 5 as an advanced novice and I saw a five as a perfectly proficient programmer. After the interview, I tried for certification in Excel Fundamentals and passed with a percentile rank in the low 80's, so, as far as her scale goes, I should have given myself a 4.5 overall and a 4 on Excel, instead of the 3.5 and 3 I gave during the interview (respectively).

The interviewer was very kind and considerate of the fact that most people had no clue they were being interviewed. We had a good conversation about a similar work experience we both shared, and considering nearly a decade of experience on the floor, in management positions, in coaching and training positions, in contact center environments to go with my confident, outgoing, charismatic personality and take-prisoners work ethic, I thought I was a lock compared to the other folk I saw walk through the door. Alas, about a week before I was let go at the end of seasonal, I saw a small, meek, timid college student get the position due to seniority. GSI is a very, very cliquey place with a very, very broken atmosphere filled with people walking on eggshells wondering whether or not the whole management staff will be cleaned out again due to what has been, thus far, very poor financial performance outside the 4th quarter during this young company's short tenure. Understand that I'm not trying to bash on a former employer, I'm trying to shed light on the subtle details that I picked up on while I was there. There's a chance I may end up back at GSI again next seasonal, I'm certainly not opposed. And, I still believe the company and the business model have fantastic potential. That doesn't change my opinion about the lack of competence and quality decision making at the middle and upper management levels. There simply seems to be a lot of people at GSI who really don't have a clue what they're doing. And, their own knowledge of that fact shines through in the form of glaring insecurities, whispering buddies, and lots of eggshell walking. The job isn't difficult, but dealing with political animals who all feel like they're backed into a corner makes for some interesting entanglements!