The hiring process at PLAE takes an average of 120 days when considering 2 user submitted interviews across all job titles. To compare, the average duration of hiring at similar companies like BlackRock, Inc. is 14 days, Fabricated Software, Inc. is 2 days, and Apple Inc. is 21 days. Candidates applying for Community Marketing Agent had the quickest hiring process (on average 120 days), whereas Community Marketing Agent roles had the slowest hiring process (on average 120 days).
There was a phone screening with the manager, then there was a fast-turn around design challenge submitted digitally, then there was an in person interview with the team, co-workers, and stakeholders.
I applied online. The process took 4 months. I interviewed at PLAE (San Francisco, CA) in Mar 2018
Interview
I was applying from a different city, so there was an initial phone call from the VP regarding the position, everything went well, and he wanted me to speak with a few other members of the sales department. Before the in-person interview could even take place, I had already spoken to at least 4-7 employees, and I was getting great feedback, so I assumed things were going well.
There was a large waiting period between each moment of communication, and I am not positive they would have reached back out if I hadn't followed up every time (huge red flag). I eventually went to SF to interview in person after receiving such positive feedback over the phone (1-2 month process).
The in-person interview went well, and as I was leaving, the VP mentioned to give him a call on my way home so we can discuss how everything went. Weeks passed because I could never get a hold of him and it took weeks to return my call. I was nothing but understanding because I know startups are always busy and having to constantly change their schedule. At this point, I knew I was not half as interested in the position due to the lack of communication. I received feedback that they believed there was some lack of motivation, but it was tough staying motivated when I couldn't receive a response in a reasonable amount of time.
1 month after the in-person interview (now going on a 3-month application process), they decided they're going to hold off on hiring someone because they were hiring 2 roles at the same time. It has now been months since I applied for this position and to this day I never even received an offer or a decline on how they were choosing to move forward with the position. The director kept saying follow up with us in "X" amount of days each time we spoke, I did, and no word. It probably wasn't meant to be, but communication and organization are extremely important in any company, and I would suggest taking this into consideration regarding future candidates. I hope this review triggers improvement regarding future applicants. I was simply waiting for a deny letter, so I could move on and not need to follow up each time.
Interview questions [1]
Question 1
Since this was a new role they were looking to fill, what skills would I be able to apply to make this one position possibly become a potential team?