State Auto Financial Interview Questions & Reviews

Interviewed Mar 2010 in Columbus, OH (took 2 weeks)

I applied online through their web site and was contacted via email by the hiring supervisor to set up an interview -- no contact from HR or any phone screen first. The first round of interviews was with multiple people, but sequentially, not in a panel. All four asked questions from a list of 75 behavioral interviews questions provided to them by HR. Because there was no coordination between them, I had to answer many identical questions for each interviewer. Each had a copy of my resume in front of them, covered in notes. If was obvious that it had been gone over in detail in preparation for the interview, however none of the interviewers ever referred to it. They all stated that they had read my resume and felt that I met or exceeded their requirements.

Second round was 2 weeks later with the supervisor's manager and was exactly the same: behavioral interview questions only. None of the interviewers initiated a discussion of my job history or skills or asked any open-ended question such as "Is there anything else you would like to tell me about your relevant experience?" I was never asked any questions related to expected compensation.

They decided to hire an internal candidate.

I had no real opportunity to expand on what was on my resume, but each interviewer gave me the opportunity to ask them questions. I was kept informed of the process and was treated very well. I was surprised that I was not asked any specific technical questions or even asked for references. Everyone with whom I interviewed presented a positive image of the company and their experiences working there. I intend to apply for other positions here in the future.