I applied online and was offered to schedule a conversation with a internal recruiter a couple of days later. The recruiter was quite rude and the interview was easy because it had absolutely nothing to do with the job. Her first questions to me were how long have you been furloughed and why. I told her it is because of COVID, my position was cut. She then proceeded to tell me that I should have been repurposed with the company. She spent over half of the conversation having me attempt to explain why the company I previously worked at furloughed me and trying to make me feel guilty for losing my job in the restaurant industry during a pandemic. She expected me as a manager to have knowledge about the corporate financial workings and board of director business decisions, something I would have not had access. I explained that the company I worked for closed two of their restaurant locations in Denver, there was no where for me to have been repurposed. For a company like Paychex that works directly with hospitality businesses, I was surprised that the recruiter was not better educated on how crippled the hospitality industry is currently. I was shocked that she wouldn't have understood that I had no control over my situation. For a company that has so many job listings, they don't seem interested in bringing on high level talent. She never even asked me any questions relative to the job or why I felt I would be a good fit. This interview had nothing to do with skills, talent or knowledge. It was exclusively regarding a situation that was totally out of my control. This was a really poor reflection on the company, I would have turned down the job even if offered. No one wants to work at a company when your first impression is total and complete disrespect. I hope she isn't allowed to continue to interview the talented but out of work hospitality employees, Paychex is missing out on a lot of hard working employees if so. I invite Paychex to reach out to me to learn how you can better treat people and convey a sense of stability within their business rather than rudely chase people off.

Applied online and then received an email to schedule a phone screen. Phone screen with HR lasted about 30 minutes. Very professional and conversational about my background. Scheduled the following week for a panel interview with 2 managers via WebEx. The interviewers first told me more about the position before asking me questions. The questions they asked were situational (STAR method) and were about how I handled situations in my former roles. The interviewers were very engaging and interested in my responses. The next day, HR called and extended a job offer. Starting from the initial contact with HR, the entire process was very professional. Everyone I spoke with was very kind and seemed genuinely interested in hearing about my experience. I was kept informed about the process and what to expect, the entire time. It was a very positive experience.