Perimeter eSecurity Interview Questions & Reviews

Interviewed May 2012 (took a day)

Overall: Disappointing.

I saw the requisition for the position, which sounded right up my alley because I have all of the experience--and then some--specified in the job description.

I received a response within days of my online submission and a telephone interview with the hiring manager and VP was set up shortly after.

I began researching the company, and the reviews weren't very good. Although most of the reviewers stated that the managers were great and there were a lot of learning opportunities, apparently the company has had a lot of executive level turnover and churn. The most common negative comment about the company was that they need to define what their vision is and stick to it. Most of the respondents seem to have felt that the executive management weren't on top of it, which caused confusion in the ranks. One felt that everyone hated working there; another that no one was willing to help anyone else; another that the project managers were inept and many projects were managed and technology implemented in a shoddy manner, where there was no control and no accountability. Obviously, these comments were a little off-putting, but you have to take them with a grain of salt since these respondents were obviously disgruntled.

The interview itself went well, even though it wasn't exactly what I expected. I was prepared for a technical interview, but it had the feel of a phone screen.

The hiring manager wasn't initially present in on call, and the VP called me. When asked if the recruiter had explained the position to me, I replied in the affirmative. He went on to talk about various positions in the organization that were open, some full time, some contract, and I was a little confused by this.

I was asked: "Can you describe what you have been doing for the last five years." I began describing my experience, and a few minutes later, the hiring manager called me while I was still on the phone. Since I couldn't possibly answer while I was already speaking to the VP, it went to voicemail. Shortly after that, he joined the conference call on their end. I continued to describe my experience over the last five years.

After that, I was asked if I had any questions. I specifically expressed my initial confusion about the mention of the other positions earlier.

It was then explained that the position I had been targeting had been filled, but that there was an open position for a Sr. Exchange Administrator and other contract positions for messaging migration that were six months in duration. They emphasized that the contracts could be extended or even converted to full time. They also emphasized that they consider their administrators to be "architects," since many of their job duties are in that area, but that made me cringe. If the administrators often perform the duties of an architect, why aren't they architects instead?

The fact that I believed I was interviewing for one position when they were interviewing me for a different position was disappointing. Why didn't they just tell me at the beginning of the interview that the position had been filled? I can only guess that they were reluctant because they felt that I might just not interview at all, which is valid--because I probably wouldn't have. However, now, with the whole bait-and-switch tactic, I'm even more leery.

Last, they asked me about my salary requirements. Of course, no one wants to pigeon hole themselves into a specific salary because, really, it's all negotiable. My response was: "I'm not sure because I haven't really considered it yet. Really, I would like to simply retain my standard of living. I live [here] and the cost of living [there] is quite a bit higher, so something that is comparable."

Then they asked what my current salary was, then told me that they were "interviewing other candidates" and would get back to me, which I interpreted as a "no, thank you." I'm speculating it was specifically due to my salary requirements.

So, in the end, I was disappointed. The interviewers seemed to be good guys, and I didn't find it difficult to communicate with them. But I do value honesty. Were they dishonest? Not in the strictest sense. But they did deceive me by not telling me in advance that the position I thought I was interviewing for was not the same position they *knew* they were interviewing *me* for.