This has to be the worst interview experience I have ever had.
I received a call that my resume had been reviewed and they were interested in me for their Management in Training program. They wanted to ask me a few questions and possibly schedule a first interview with the hiring manager.
As a college student nearing graduation, I jumped at the opportunity to talk to a new company that seemed legitimate. I asked the director of HR several important questions related to the nature of the job and compensation structure. To which she replied that it was a salaried position and required no sales. From here, I agreed to schedule the interview.
The day of the interview comes and I drive over an hour through DFW traffic to get there on time. Once there, I greet the director of HR kindly and asked to fill out an application that is dubiously entitled "preliminary questionnaire". I'm a bit off put by this given that they should know this information already via my resume and prior conversations. I fill the application out anyways.
As I'm waiting, the director of HR makes another phone call while I'm in the room. She goes over the entire same script she gave me verbatim to another college student. This leaves me a bit concerned at the nature of this job and the interview to come in the next several minutes.
After she's done with the call she takes me back to the other room. I immediately ask where the hiring manager is and she claims the hiring manager had to leave early today so she will be conducting the interview. As the interview begins, she starts by asking me the same exact questions we had previously talked about on the phone just a few days prior (why are you interested in us?, etc). I answer them in the same vain as before. She moves on to tell me the breakdown of responsibilities for the Manager in Training position. This is where the bait and switch occurs.
She says entry level employees are required to attend all events and sell whatever products available to make commission. After a successful 12 months, they can then transition to assistant manager and make commission from the sales of salespeople beneath them. After a rather uneventful continuation of the interview it ends with her explaining that the 2nd and final round of interviews takes place at the events. They want to see if you are "good with customers" in order to hire you.
If you read between the lines here, you can easily see that this is a bait and switch method used to get motivated sales people in the short term. When asked what she was looking for in new hires, she could only list attributes of a hire. Aka, they will hire anyone who is willing to do field sales.
Additionally, I was turned off by how unprofessional this process was. If the hiring manager couldn't make the appointment I should have been contacted to reschedule. When I asked if sales were involved before the interview, I should have been told the truth. I wouldn't recommend interviewing with this company, because I question their ethics and professionalism. Please beware!
I'll leave you with this analogy. Selling products outside of a Sam's Club or Military Base (where they hold events by and large) is literally the equivalent of a girl scout selling cookies outside of a grocery store. Do you really want to graduate from college to become a girl scout for 12 months in hopes of being a girl scout sales manager?
This job isn't for everyone. I wouldn't suggest a college educated job seeker look into this company at all. Please don't undervalue yourself. Interview with a company that truly cares about maximizing your potential and preparing you for a worthwhile career.
