I am an experienced professional at the mid-senior to senior level who was recruited to apply for a contract consulting position with Baxter in Deerfield, IL. The whole experience was really strange, and in retrospect, sent off several red flags. First, the recruiter described an ideal job description that matched my experience, recommended some changes to my resume and then submitted my resume for the job. I was never interviewed. While I awaited a response, I did some cursory searching and found some job postings linking back to this opportunity dating back several months. Each time they reflected deviations, lack of clarity and terrible spelling and grammar. I concluded the job had been available for about five months prior to my recruitment and the position seemed unclear like they didn't know what they wanted. This was the first red flag I rationalized as being due to an area that was in development. Then I was part of a group of scheduled phone interviews that the contacts at Baxter had simply blown off. We were scheduled a week in advance and we waited all afternoon for the phone call that never came. This is the 2nd red flag I thought could be explained by simply being busy in a changing environment. Over a week passed and the recruiter called me with another time for the phone interview. This time they called and the interview went well seemingly focused on the soft skills of demeanor and behavioral interactions. I was asked to describe my current position, and I was asked about my familiarity with some software applications. We then scheduled a face-to-face interview through the recruiter. I was excited based on the job description and the company's position within the marketplace. Based on what I had been told of the job, it was a perfect match across the board. Well, it is no surprise after ignoring the initial red flags that this was the absolute worst interview experience I ever encountered. They were closed; not forthcoming; would not engage in discussions pertaining to the job; paused and carefully selected the words in their responses; they weren't professional in appearance or demeanor; they didn't seem to be able to discuss the job. The interview was painful, like pulling teeth. They didn't ask one typical interview question. They didn't know how to interview and the inability to discuss the job became alarming. The substance of the interview centered on meetings and SharePoint. They couldn't discuss methodologies, leadership styles, conflict resolutions... I wasn't asked about my strengths and weaknesses, where I see myself in five years, what I liked best about anything in my resume. In fact, there was no discussion of my resume. It was like there wasn't a real job available, or at least not the one they promoted. My conclusion after this huge waste of time that left me feeling like The Twilight Zone is like they weren't serious about the promoted position but couldn't change the description too much because that description is what they were vying for in attaining internal headcount. It seemed like I was interviewing for a job that was eventually going to someone internally once the headcount was attained. The recruiters and the candidates were just pawns for making the case that they looked externally for contract consultants but couldn't find one that fit so now they need the internal headcount to hire.... internally! It may result in an additional contract administrative assistant position, but not a mid-senior level project lead position. Truly the worst experience ever, and never a thank you for your time... or an explanation or apology for the scheduled phone interviews that left candidates and recruiters waiting only to get blown off. I added so much detail because it speaks volumes to the internal culture.
