I interviewed at Diversified Reporting (Alexandria, VA)
Interview
The interview process was 2-3 separate calls/video meetings. Very relaxed environment just asking basic background questions and then experience as it relates to basic file systems, typing, etc. Was a very welcoming experience.
This was at their location on Duke Street in Alexandria, VA.
I made an appointment to take what I thought would be a proofreading test. Not only did I have to do a proofreading test, I had to fill out a stack of documents including employment history (a resume was sent in advance), education (which asked for their addresses...I graduated from college over a decade ago and high school almost 20 years ago, and I do not remember their addresses offhand), and do a personality sorting test (sorting different personality traits from most like me to the least like me), a section that was similar to the verbal portion of an SAT (matching words in one column with their archaic synonyms in the other column), and finally the proofreading. I'm bright but I struggled with the SAT in high school and that was a bad reminder of high school. It also didn't help that the employees there acted like they were in high school. They were being noisy, clowning around while I was in the room taking the test.
"Shh!" a woman said while laughing. "Someone's taking the test. She can probably hear you."
I heard a guy respond with, "If she has a problem with that then she has no business working here." WHAT?!
I let them know that I could indeed hear them and the guy's comment. The guy apologized for the rude comment and I let him know that in the future when outsiders are there to keep those types of comments out of earshot. The damage had been done regardless of the apology.
Between that and the SAT-type test, I'd had it. I wrote on the SAT-type portion about how it was ridiculous to do that SAT-type portion and how it was not an indicator of my intelligence (I'm paraphrasing). The woman who gave me the test kept insisting I just "give it a guess," but I put my foot down. I wasn't going to.
I was contacted to come in for an interview (and was told that five of the six SAT-type questions that I guessed on were correct), but I declined. I replied that the unprofessional behavior of the office rubbed me the wrong way and it was not a place I wanted to work at. I received an apology that they were going through a busy time at the office which caused them to be stressful, but I reiterated that that was not a place I wanted to work at.
5
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