It was a painful experience throughout the whole process. I applied for two similar positions that were open. I was told to be patient as the hiring process was moving slowly, but they assured me that they would be in touch. The level of scrutiny and vetting that the company put into the hiring process was excessive.
During the interview process, the requirements included:
1. Submitting a Cover Letter, CV, and Bibliography
2. Answering a detailed questionnaire with specific questions for each previous position held, with the answers expected to be in paragraph style
3. Completing a 1.5-hour virtual personality/workstyle assessment
4. Providing 3-4 documents showcasing my writing style
5. Participating in an in-depth interview that reviewed the responses provided in steps 2 & 4 and the accompanying documents
My concern grew when I asked if I had any questions during the virtual interview. I inquired about the Glassdoor reviews and was met with a response that seemed to immediately dismiss the negative reviews by attributing them to disgruntled employees or biases against women-owned companies consulting for the government. The reviews highlighted issues such as excessive micro-managing, internal conflicts, and favoritism based on education, among other concerns. However, it doesn't look good when leadership only blames the employees.
It also became evident that the two positions I had applied for were essentially one role, which was not clarified earlier. This has been an incredibly frustrating process, especially considering that the salary offered is significantly below industry standards.
