I wouldn't recommend wasting your time unless you have no other options. They talk a lot about their great "process" and being "transparent and fair". It isn't. It feels like they make it up as they go along, it was unprofessionally managed, they are extremely arrogant, dishonest and unfair. 6 stage interview over 7 weeks. Told me they would make an offer but actually the role was re-posted and a new applicant passed through a different process in 5 day to be made an offer. They kept me hanging on in reserve for 11 days after final interview. I have never been exposed to such dishonest, unfair and unprofessional behaviour in my 25 year career. In over 6 hours of interviews, I was only allowed 15 minutes to ask questions.
You are treated as a process, not a talented person. It should be a two-way exercise but it's exactly the opposite. They make much of the 'social justice' interview but it was pure download from me - I was only asked one, very basic, question. If you work in Tech, there are many, many companies that it's worth investing your time in - this is not one of them. I was told I would get a "much better feel for the company" at the fifth stage which was 3.5 hours at their office - I didn't at all - I was l just left in the kitchen area for over an hour with nothing to do.
ThoughtWorks are struggling to recruit good people, They talked about this extensively. My experience, and those of many others, is a big part of the reason why.
03/28 – Applied for the role via your careers site
04/04 – Telephone screening with Recruiter
04/10 – Skype Interview with Global Head of Marketing (Only five minutes allowed in timing for me to ask questions)
04/18 – Skype interview with UK Marketing team (Only five minutes allowed in timing for me to ask questions)
05/02 – Completed online personality test
05/04 – Skype interview with US Head of Marketing (A much more “modern” and conversational style – overran so kindly allowed 5 extra minutes for me to ask questions)
05/05 – Three and a half hours at your office. I was left waiting for 35 minutes on my own in the kitchen as there was “no room” available to start the social justice interview. This was not a great first impression but these things happen. During the social justice interview, there were only two questions from the interviewees so it was pure download from me. Completed Wonderlic test and then left in the kitchen for another 25 minutes. My presentation ran to 70 minutes with questions from the panel and so there was no time for me to ask questions back to the panel at the end.
05/06 The role was reposted on LinkedIn (I didn’t know until a colleague informed me three days later)
05/09 - Final interview with UK MD. I was informed in advance that a final decision would be made soon after this. I messaged the recruiter at 5pm and asked when a final decision would be made. I was told “hopefully we can conclude this tomorrow”
05/10 – I chased the recruiter again towards close of business and was told “I am chasing Ruth. I know she is very keen, just waiting for signoff from the COO who is US based… I will let you know the minute I have it confirmed.”
05/11 – I heard nothing so chased the recruiter again towards the end of the day. I was told at this point that the COO still hadn’t signed off and that a brand-new applicant who had applied that day would be spoken to the following day. Obviously, I expressed some concern and I’m told that you are interviewing a new candidate “in case you do not accept” – I assure the recruiter that it is my intention to accept. I was told that I was still the “preferred” candidate (it later turned out that I had been the only candidate up to this point).
05/12 – I heard nothing so called the recruiter. I was told that they had a “desire to move forward with me” and the process would be concluded by 05/15 or 05/16 at the latest. I was re-assured that I was still the “preferred” candidate.
05/12 – New candidate enters and the process is completed in five working days (as opposed my 7 weeks). This candidate gets to meet the Interim UK Head of Marketing – this part of the process was not afforded to me despite it being promised and me reminding that I would like to. Therefore, a different process is applied to this candidate.
05/15 – at the end of the day, I received an email saying that the new candidate would be completing the process 05/16 to 05/18.
05/16 – I called the recruiter first thing and left a voicemail requesting a call back. I was not called back
05/18 – I heard nothing all day so texted the recruiting asking if a final decision had been made.
05/19 – 11 days after my final interview. The recruiter informed me that they would be concluding and “making an offer early to mid-afternoon”. At the end of the day I was told that the other candidate had accepted the role. The recruiter still insists that I did have a meeting with the Interim Head – I absolutely didn’t.