Overall my experience interviewing with Abbvie was by far the most egregious interview process I’ve seen in some time. I do think HR should investigate unfair interview/hiring practices. And HR should require proper interview training and etiquette to make the process fair to all candidates.
I applied for the role via their website and began communication with the recruiter within a week of submitting my application. During the recruiter screening, we had a very quick conversation to discuss the role and my interest. I asked the recruiter about the process, and the recruiter said there would be 2-3 interviews. I also asked about the structure of the interviews to ensure I could prepare properly. Unfortunately, the recruiter didn’t have much insight but indicated they would all be technical.
**Interview 1 (Hiring Manager and Potential Teammate )**
This was a 45-minute conversation to discuss the role further and talk through my experiences. This conversation went really well, and I honestly thought I had found my dream job (delusional, I know). Both the hiring manager and potential teammate were relatable and seemed easy to work with. The work also seemed challenging and interesting!
After nine days, I reached out to the recruiter for an update, and the recruiter informed me that they wanted to move me to the next round.
**Interview 2 (panel interview with 1 interviewer being from interview 1)**
This was a one-hour conversation with scenario-based questions related to what sounded like situations they experience. This conversation went over an hour but went really well. I want to note here that there were several questions asked and more than enough time to ask questions to help evaluate the candidacy of an individual. This was also the second conversation with the potential teammate. Towards the end, one of the interviewers mentioned that I should hear back within a week as they weren’t sure if there were any additional candidates.
**Interview 3 (panel interview)**
This was also a one-hour-plus conversation with additional scenario-based questions, similar to interview 2. I walked away from this interview feeling pretty good.
About two days after completing all the interviews, I informed the recruiter of a competing offer I received. Therefore, I wanted to see if he could provide insight into the timeline of the next steps. The recruiter promptly called me to get details on my timeline. I informed the recruiter I had about four days to make a final decision (it was Friday afternoon). The recruiter informed me they would call me first thing Monday.
Monday came around, and the recruiter did call me. He informed me that the feedback was extremely positive; however, the team needed to finish their process due to compliance. The recruiter asked if I could wait until Thursday to make my decision. I agreed because I truly wanted the role and figured they may have just needed to finish up some final interviews.
Thursday at 8:30 am came around, and I received a call. The recruiter asked if I could do another call with the same individuals from interview 1 within the hour. After that call, the recruiter informed me that they would make their decision afterward. I asked the recruiter if he could give me insight into what the call would entail, but he said he couldn’t. I reluctantly agreed. The interview came around, and it was a 45-minute interview of technical scenarios I simply wasn’t prepared for. Not because I didn’t know them, but because I had less than an hour’s notice, and it was truly unexpected. I knew I didn’t perform well, and I received a call a couple of hours after the interview that I didn’t get the role. It was deflating, but also felt as though it was not a fair candidacy experience. It felt as though my entire candidacy was decided on a single impromptu interview.
I feel like companies need to be more honest with candidates, but more importantly be fair to your candidates. It’s unacceptable to have ample communication with a candidate but failing to tell them you may want to do a follow up interview prior to making a decision, especially if you’re requesting an interview an hour before. Not giving a candidate a proper chance to prepare is by far the most What’s also not ok is not giving a candidate proper chance to prepare. I’m also almost certain each candidates received different number of interviews.