Make no mistake, this is not a Tim Hortons interview. In fact, I would be hard pressed to even call it a Burger King interview. Bottom line is, if you are expecting these interviews to be inspired by decades of Canadian coffee cultured, you have come to the wrong place. Welcome to zero-based-budgeting.
After a simple phone interview round, there is a rotational round where candidates have three separate 1:1's with three separate senior managers. It really depends on who you get (from what I understand, it would depend on who is available during that day), but the people I spoke with were highly amicable and easy to converse with. Expect typical interview questions here, no surprises (maybe a brain teaser!).
Next, there is a business simulation round where you are put in a group of 4-5 and given a business to manage over 5 years. The levers are quite limited, but retrospectively viewing the simulation, it makes a lot of sense coming from a company like 3G. Yes, the simulation is ran by a 3G executive. Who is from 3G you may ask? Don't worry, you'll know! By not being a shut-in and speaking your mind during the group activities, you should be fine. The game itself was not overly complicated, I enjoyed it greatly overall.
Finally, the last round is a very intense panel interview with multiple interviewers and multiple interviewees all in the same room. This was by far the most memorable part of my interviewing process. It was extremely unique, unpredictable, and not like any other interview I have had before (I have interviewed at several different companies in a variety different industries). I would prefer not to spoil too much here (as I enjoyed the unexpectedness) but ask anyone who has completed this round-the last two questions will throw even the most seasoned interviewer off.
Overall, I had a lot of fun with the interview process and enjoyed meeting (nearly) everyone along the way. My reasons for not wanting to join the company extend far beyond my dislike of coffee and rests primarily in corporate strategy and short-term goals. I could write much more about what I believe...but it would be best to see for yourself. Good luck.
