I was referred to this position and contacted by HR who submitted my resume to a recruiter for a phone interview.
This all went well in a timely fashion. There were some details the recruiter did not know and followed up with HR to get back to me for a 2nd call. At the conclusion of our 2nd call it was indicated they would send me some details about benefits obtained from HR that were inquired about. A few days with no contact went by and requested a follow up with the recruiter with no response. Sent another request after a few days, asking if they were able to obtain the details or if AleSmith had decided not to proceed with my application. No response to this either.
I followed up with the HR who also failed to respond to my request for status.
It's safe to assume at this point they're not proceeding with me. However, I was lied to when the recruiter said they would be sending me more details on benefits that I requested at the earliest convenience at the conclusion of the 2nd call, naturally leading me to believe I was still a prospect. Neither the recruiter nor HR had the professional courtesy to respond to total 3 requests for follow up. I interpret this to mean that once they have decided against a candidate civility is out of the question.
HR is supposed to align the interests of employers and employees and make sure that both ends maintain an amicable relationship. This is not the impression I get of AleSmith's HR based on my experience. They are opening a new facility and under extreme staffing pressure so I would have understood reasonable delays. My HR experience makes me question if their growth rate is reasonable.
Additionally, I have some concerns about their expectations for an IT professional as well as their appreciation for technology as an asset. These were unable to be addressed as we did not conduct a formal interview; what I am offering is my impression based on my limited experience with AleSmith. They are looking for someone to build their network and technology processes from the ground up; to transition from small business to enterprise solutions to scale with their growth. For example, their website and messaging solutions are through godaddy (check the email headers on an email you get from them, especially if you get an "automated" one for some interesting perspective on their technology deficit), use dropbox for company file sharing, need to secure their network infrastructure, implement a secure remote access solution for remote sales, there is no domain controller/fileserver, etc. While AleSmith understands this all needs to be brought up to enterprise standards, their expected salary range is below market for someone with the experience to integrate all these solutions effectively. They expect this position to be on call virtually 24/7 for any afterhours needs. They are not looking to expand IT personnel for some time; they're putting all of their communications assets in the hands of this position without any sort of contingency plan.
Clearly, they are not looking for an entry level candidate. However, I was almost instantly disqualified for not having an A+ Certification despite 8 years of experience in business to business OEM Computers, Managed IT and Network Operations Management. If A+ is the yardstick by which they measure their IT candidates I question their ability to make sound HR decisions.
Overall, my impression is AleSmith does not have a mature mindset of technology nor related talent. I am an AleSmith consumer who firmly believes in their product and mission. However, I was left with a bad taste and that is not a good thing for a brewery.
