The entire interview process took a little over two months. However, some may consider it still ongoing as a result of my experience (explained below).
A Dyson recruiter reached out to me via LinkedIn. After some correspondence, a phone interview was arranged for the two of us. It was about 30 minutes and a very straightforward, “this is what the role is like”, screening call. She told me that I would hear back about moving forward to the second step with the hiring manager. That interview was about 30 - 40 minutes and consisted of questions predominantly pertaining to my work experience. Next, I was invited on-site for a third interview. They told me to plan on it lasting two hours. I met with the hiring manager, her manager, another manager from the marketing team, and someone from HR. It also consisted of work experience questions in addition to questions on how I would handle specific situations, etc. Shortly thereafter, I received an email inviting me back for the final step in the process, which was to complete an “activity”. I was also instructed to go to several different retail stores to evaluate Dyson’s retail displays and consider how they compare to their competitors. As a side note, I live in downtown Chicago, so commuting all over the city in the middle of winter to different Bed, Bath & Beyonds, Targets, and Best Buys on my weekend was not favorable. The activity started by giving me a laptop and a sheet with a scenario and corresponding instructions. I was informed that I would have x amount of time to complete it — 10 minutes. I was asked to create any type of deliverable that included a timeline of the production process for in-store displays, identify important information that was omitted from the scenario, among a few other tasks. After I presented my work, I was asked about my thoughts on the displays that I researched around the city.
The next day, I received a follow-up email saying that she would be contacting me within the next couple days regarding their decision and any next steps. This transpired in March 2018... as of November 2018, I’m still “waiting” to hear back from her.
I completely understand not being offered the job, as it is the hiring managers responsibility to choose the best fit to succeed in the position and I must not have been that person. However, what I do find completely unacceptable is the expectation of time and commitment needed to jump through the interview hoops without even dedicating time for a 1 minute phone call to that person following up with a final “verdict” and any feedback. This silence serves as a perfect representation of the professionalism and appreciation of time and effort that Dyson has for people who do not get offered a position.
My belief is that a company should be pursuing an interviewee just as much as a potential employee should be pursuing the company. It’s a mutually beneficial interaction. Unfortunately for Dyson, throughout the entire process, I couldn’t help but feel like most of the people I interacted with had some sense of entitlement.
I’m sure Dyson is a wonderful company to be employed at, but I wouldn’t expect an ounce of respect from the recruiting team unless you do get that offer.