1) Took 6 weeks, all due to their inability to coordinate the simplest of tasks. I considered taking my name out several times but stuck it out.
2) Several phone calls, nothing unique about them. Very superficial. Even the call with the hiring manager was superficial. I have interviewed tons of people and I get into the weeds quick. Their calls cannot identify talent. To throw fuel on that fire, they then put you through several other non-value tasks.
3) Prior to on-site talks, you go through a behavioral assessment online. Several hundred questions, timed, taking 3-4 hours. Involves ridiculous questions, has puzzles, pattern recognition and "A is to B as C is to ___”. When you are doing it, you quickly debate whether to close the browser and tell them to withdraw your name. It is THAT silly.
4) Next step is a "CIDS TopGrading" exercise with a large panel of people. CIDS stands for Comprehensive In Depth Study. To boil it all down, here’s one of the first questions the head of HR will ask, regardless of whether you have 3 years experience or 35 years: “Tell me about your formative years in college. Who was your greatest influence and why ?” The questions after that are just as “insightful". They NEVER really get into the resume details that much. So all the details you provided to them 6+ weeks ago, the results, the detailed approaches, the insight, etc. —> none of that has been reviewed by the team because they are 100% fixated on using this canned package they paid a fortune for from some HR -reject who wrote an accompanying book and who has optional software tools that help you feel like you bought something of value. They have paper forms they fill out as you speak, and they will NEVER go off subject — totally focused on asking the next question on the form. As you witness this madness, you are again contemplating telling them you are no longer interested. You are questioning their competence or even thinking that maybe they are testing you to see if you will stop the process. This process really does make them look like a collection of newbie fools.
5) If you get to see the pilot plant, it will look nice—like it should. If they take you to the local plant, you will understand everything you need to know and answer all your questions within 5 min of stepping foot inside. The site is filthy, disorganized and would be embarrassing to tour your family through. If you would not bring your family in to show it off, you will not want a prospective customer to see it. In addition, there were jobs being done that were unsafe.
Here’s what should have happened:
1) Talent screen to confirm requirements are met.
2) Hiring Manager virtual interview, to confirm and dig deep into work history. If positive, bring you in for in-person.
3) If interviewing for a site role, the site visit should be the 1st thing done that day, followed by the interview(s). Let the person see what they are walking into, meet people, formulate questions, be able to give objective evaluation of what first 30-60-90 might include, etc.
NO timed online 700 question behavioral assessment.
NO idiotic CIDS TopGrading
Just review the details the candidate provided you, invest a few minutes to prepare and use your brain
These people did NO preparation and instead used a stupid CIDS tool to make them feel like they were thorough. They were not.
