This place is getting a bad reputation. Thats not good since NYC can be a small world. For example, they have posted the same EA/office manager position for 3 years in a row - what in the world is going on??? I understand they are protective of bringing random people into their company and organizational culture but...really???
After my interactions with senior management at this company, I distinctly got the impression they have no idea what they're looking for so they're wasting everyone's time including their own.
I submitted an application online. They asked me to write a press release/ bio on the Founder and give a lengthy explanation as to why I was interested in joining Maker's Row along with my application materials. Soon afterwards, I was contacted via email to arrange a time to speak with one of the founders. Even though they have an office relatively close to where I live, they insisted on arranging the call via google hangout. Ok - I'm flexible.
During my interview (GoogleHangout), the founder was super distracted. He kept chuckling so I wasn't sure if he was laughing at me or at what someone else was saying to him. There appeared to be a person seated next to him that was commenting every few minutes so that might have been the funny distraction.
Honestly, as a woman, it made me feel really uncomfortable to hear the person who was conducting my interview, snickering and laughing during our video call. I convinced myself it was an inside joke but for all I know they could of been laughing at the way I looked on google hangout or at my answers to interview questions. Just a very uncomfortable moment. Additionally, it was also equally embarrassing to witness the lack of maturity exemplified during my interview. Yes - I know I wasn't applying for the most high ranking position at the company but still - have some decorum, please!
As far as the questions, they were standard. Why are you interested in Makers Row? Tell me about your professional experience? Why do you think you would be a good fit for this role? The interview in total took about 20 minutes - mostly because I don't think the cofounder took it seriously. I also think it would have been a more formal interview had the position been for a software engineer or marketing director - positions that command more respect from this group.
In the end, I didn't even receive an email informing me that they had hired someone else or abandoned the search.
Honestly, I felt like such a loser for even taking the time to interview at this place. The worst part about this experience is that I had read the other negative reviews posted on Glassdoor, and I decided to move forward with the interview anyways. What a lesson! Now I always take Glassdoor reviews under serious consideration because it truly is a window into the culture of a company!
In sum, I think Maker's Row needs to hire a full time HR Manager or HR Director because they are clearly lacking on the recruiting side of things and they also need some coaching in terms of how to conduct themselves on interviews.
