The interview process was very well structured, and I was kept informed regularly. I never had to wait too long to hear back from the hiring manager or recruiter. Scheduling the next interview was very easy and everyone that I spoke to was extremely kind, professional, and more than happy to answer questions about the role and the company.
I applied online, and went through a 4 interview process. 1. I scheduled the first screening interview. The recruiter was polite and asked me a mix of behavioural questions as well, as the standard screening interview spiel (right to work, notice period, salary expectations etc). Within the next 24h I was invited to schedule the second interview. 2. The second interview was with a peer from the Onboarding team. The person was very easy to talk to and she was very engaged in my answers. I was told I will hear in the next 4 days, but I was moved to the third stage much quicker, within a day or so. 3. My third interview was with a hiring manager, who was super bubbly and asked some more behavioural, job-fit questions, she kept the interview in a conversational manner. I was told that at this stage there were 8 candidates, and only 2 would make it to the final stage. Since I didn't work in the Global HR industry, I was expecting not to make it to the next stage, despite the interview going well. I was told I would hear by the end of the week, and once again, within 24h I was invited to the final stage interview. 4. My final interview was with the Director level person, and once again - super approachable, very lovely, competent, and easy to talk to. This interview was a bit more informal, less STAR behavioural questions, and more scenarios, and “describe your leadership style” type. I felt it went well, and the interviewer said: whatever happens, please expect a feedback, because we are feedback first company.
Unfortunately, after all my efforts, I didn't get the job. The only piece of feedback I received from this process was quite vague. After informing me that I wasn't selected, the recruiter mentioned, "at this moment, we have decided to move forward with another candidate who aligns best with what we are looking for in this role." To me, this doesn’t really qualify as feedback. If it was down to me and another candidate, I could have easily guessed myself that the other person was deemed a better fit. What I was hoping for was an explanation of why the other candidate was a better fit. Was there something I could have improved in my interview performance, or did they simply have prior HR experience that I lacked (which would mean there was nothing I could have done differently)?
I politely requested more specific feedback from the recruiter, but after a few days, I received the same generic response. This was disappointing, especially since I was genuinely excited about the company and invested a significant amount of time preparing for and attending the four interviews. All I asked in return was a brief paragraph of feedback to help me improve for the future. I understand that recruiters are busy and cannot provide feedback to all candidates. But being one of the final two candidates, I would have appreciated knowing if the lack of HR experience was the deciding factor. If that was the case, my feedback to the company would be: if HR experience is a deal breaker, please don’t put someone through a lengthy interview process. Let them off the hook earlier, if ultimately they were never to get the job. I guess I would never know.
