Timeline & E-mail Correspondence:
I applied online for the Claim Associate - Express position on 7/19. I was emailed by an HR admin on 7/22 and asked to sign a disclosure form before they would release the skills test (2 tests; State Farm screening battery & SkilTrak assessment). After taking the assessments I was contacted on 7/27 by a different HR admin who said I was selected for a 30 min phone interview. In the email the HR admin said I would be interviewing for the Claim Associate-ILR position that pays $27,001 (non-negotiable).
I had applied for the Claim Associate - Express position that pays just over $29k. (Side note: The $29k salary was already way below what I was being paid in my previous position. I was willing to accept the pay cut because I wanted to get my foot in the door at State Farm.) I emailed the HR admin back and asked if it would be possible to be interviewed for the Claim Associate - Express position; the job that I had originally applied for. Otherwise, I would have to respectfully decline the invitation for the Claim Associate - ILR interview. The HR admin responded saying, "At this time we are not conducting Express interviews." My application was withdrawn.
On 8/3 I was contacted by a different HR admin saying "You have been selected for a 30-minute phone interview regarding the ***Claim Associate-ILR and/or Claim Associate-Express*** job opportunities... The Claim Associate-Express entry-level annual compensation rate is $29,016 and Claim Associate-ILR rate is $ 27,001. This salary is non-negotiable." I thought great! I emailed the HR admin back and said that I would be interested in interviewing for the Claim Associate - Express position. The HR admin responded saying that I had withdrawn my app because of compensation. In my response email I had explained what I had told the previous HR admin, and that I am still interested in interviewing for the Claim Associate - Express position that pays $29,016 per their first email. In response to my email the HR admin said "Unfortunately, we don't have an Express openings at this time. We only have the ILR opening which the compensation is $ 27,001. Please continue to check our website for other opportunities in Express later in the year. I'll withdraw you from the posting now."
My thoughts:
I would have been better off attending an in-person, open house.
It has been a waste of time, and aggravating, dealing with the back and forth emails with multiple HR admins. I am totally turned off by how I was treated as a job candidate. It is not true that State Farm is not currently seeking Claim Associate - Express candidates. State Farm held an open house advertising that specific position on August 4 here in Phoenix.
I also want to point out that the State Farm HR admin sent me an email with poor grammar. I didn't make a typo when I typed "Unfortunately, we don't have an Express openings..." above. That is the exact quote from the State Farm admin email to me. There were other typos but I don't want to get sidetracked.
If State Farm is about quality customer service, shouldn't they be treating prospective employees the same way as "paying" customers?! It's called internal and external customer service.
One last thing... State Farm - If you want to attract top talent, offer a living wage. Also, consider training your employees to be truthful and professional in their interactions with potential employees and/or customers.
