SRA International Technical Writer IV Interview

Interviewed Dec 2010 (took 3 months)

I initially applied for a postion as Business Analyst (which unknown to me had the decription for Tech Writer IV attached to it -- which was the reason I applied). HR person I spoke with gave no indiction that job title and description didn't match when I did the 2 initial screening interviews. Two weeks later I had a two 1:1 interviews on the same day.. My initial interviewer has 30 min. late -- she forgot she had an interview at 9am. She opened the interview by stating" I don't see anything in your resume that would make me want to hire you." She got even more rude from there. Fortunately-- for some odd reason -- I'd printed out the job description and began referring to it in my rebuttal. At this point she let me know that it' was the wrong description for the advertised job title. Oh but anyway they had an opening for a Tech Writer IV she'd consider me for. The whole "interview" took 15 min. She then passed me on to the office VP who spent 30 minutes grilling me about hypothetical ethicial situations and how I'd handle them. Neither of my interviewrs were friendly or terribly polite.

 The HR person called the next day to ask when I'd be available -- I named a date after my current contract would end. She said she'd be back in touch. 3 days later I got a verbal offer from HR -- but no salary, no job description, just when can you start. Over the next 2 months I repeatedly asked them for asked for pay and job specifics (in writing), and was met with either silence or repeated requests for when can you start, can you start sooner ('we're desperate, we have so much work", etc). During this entire time I was also looking / interviewing for other positions as the SRA job seemed less than real.

Finally 3 months into the process I received the verbal salary offer, which I accepted, with an emailed written offer the next day. Yes I know, unwise move, but I was contracting and my contract was ending, and It was double the houraly rate of another pending offer.. I will say the hourly rate was excellent as I was coming on as a full-time contract employee at a high level. I had worked for SRA several years previously when my company was acquired by them. I was with SRA for a little over a year before they laid off nearly everyone from my old company who wasn't in the DC area.(myself included). I decided to apply again as the money and benefits had been excellent. The position was in a non-DC office and the office itself was nearly empty. I learned from the receptionist on my way ou of the initial interviewt that they had just laid off nearly the entire staff when a contract ended a month before, but they were gearing up for new contracts in late spring.

As the position offered was a full-time contract for several months, extending through end of summer 2011, I went into the position knowing it would end.

Please see my company review for my brief experience at SRA round 2,and why no amount of money would ever make me go back.