I applied through a recruiter. The process took 5 days. I interviewed at Bond-Pro (Tampa, FL) in Jan 2024
Interview
First interview was with the Chief Product Officer. He showed up late as he was traveling. Focus of the interview was on User Stories.
Second interview was a panel of 3 Product Managers. Interview was very casual, just asked about experience and was a nice back and forth conversation. When I asked them about some of the things I read on Glassdoor, none of them said they were untrue, just said that it hasn't happened since "they were there" (read for yourself).
Third interview was with the Chief Solutions Architect. Also was late due to audio issues. He was very honest and candid with his responses. When asking about work-life balance, his response was "if you are asking me that question, this isn't the place for you." 2 weeks PTO to start- he also said to "come to me with a plan" if you are going to take time off. After the first year, the 2 weeks turns into "Unlimited Time Off," but based on the attitude to vacation, good luck using it. He also alluded that working on the weekends was a normal thing. Lastly, it seemed like you have 90 days to make it or start looking for a new job.
It was very clear during the interview process that this company has a "live to work" culture. Work comes first, everything else comes after. They have a start-up mentality, since they are a small company, but without the start-up pay or benefits. In my opinion, and for those to whom I shared my interview process with, it seems like an extremely toxic environment.
I applied through a staffing agency. The process took 6 weeks. I interviewed at Bond-Pro (Tampa, FL)
Interview
Had an initial interview with the staffing agency the company used. They disqualified me saying it was a technical hands-on role, rather than a manager type role. They called back 2 weeks later saying they were wrong and wanted me to interview. I interviewed with both the recruiter and account manager for the staffing agency, and although one of them frustrated me, it was pretty typical staffing agency questions. Got a phone interview with the hiring manager, which went very well, and was scheduled for a face to face with the same person. Went to that interview and spoke with him for over and hour and a half, and had a very positive feeling when I left. The last interview, which was about a week later was with the same hiring manager and one of the company founders. He went about 12 years back in my resume and started demanding specifics about my day to day from a job that held no relevance to the job to which I was applying. After raking me over the coals for a good 20 minutes, he asked what I thought his company did. He didn't like my answer - that was obvious. I left feeling like it had been a huge waste of time - which it was. It was as if he was finding every reason he could to disqualify me.