HR called to invite me for in-person interview. HR made this place sound amazing, of course.
When I showed up for the interview, HR person wasn’t there. The interview was with CEO and biz dev. Please note there are no marketing team members at this office.
Red flag: Lack of consideration for interviewee’s time. I tried calling HR and even sent an email while at a stoplight to let them know I was stuck in traffic and would be 2 minutes late—no answer. And yet, upon arrival, I waited for 30 minutes in the conference room. Not a great start. Please note, this place is 45 minutes from most residential areas in Jacksonville.
Red flag: Not the right interviewers for the position. When I tried to ask deeper marketing and e-commerce questions the CEO stated, “that’s not my area.”
Red flag: It seemed like they were trying to get free consulting during the interview. They asked me for specific e-commerce recommendations across their existing digital properties. I kept my insights vague.
After the hour interview that seemed to be a personality test vs. skills test, they said HR would be in touch. At this point I wasn’t interested but I followed up to see what they could offer me $-wise. And, I saw the lack of structure around the entire marketing department as an opportunity to really help them out. No reply. I was ghosted.
