Cenlar Interview Questions
& Process

I was contacted by the staffing agency Ranstad about a full-time job. They had me fill out an online application. Then, the recruiter sent me some quick assessments for WPM and math skills. I got a call within the hour after submitting them. They explained the job was in mortgages and finances, which was a bit intimidating since my background was different, but they reassured me about 4+ weeks of paid training. The interview was scheduled for the next Tuesday. An HR person who used to work with the same staffing agency helped me prep beforehand, going over pay negotiation and practice questions. I then met with two customer interactions support supervisors, Ricky and Gina. They asked about my previous experience with people and coworkers, my work history, and my availability, including discussing potential Saturday work for the training group. They wanted to know how my background would help in stressful phone situations. I was told I'd hear back from the agency by Thursday or Friday and got an offer on Thursday. My recruiter told me the start date for training and what to bring. I also got a welcome email and offer letter from Cenlar, and was asked for references. Training started a little over a week later.

Applied online, then got a recruiter call for a phone screen a few days later. A face-to-face interview was scheduled shortly after that. Cenlar seemed really keen to get me in for an interview, calling and emailing twice on the same day. The interview was set up with 3 people. I arrived early and waited about 10 minutes. Two days after the interview, the recruiter told me they decided to 'go in a different direction for the position.' Not sure what that means, but I guess they're hiring other candidates. I was pretty annoyed they wasted 2 hours of my time for the interview, plus the time spent driving there and back. Seems like they have a complete disregard for people's time.

It was a very unprofessional experience. I first connected with a recruiter about a position that seemed like it had been open for a long time. I was excited because it combined my Marketing and Finance background. I arrived a bit early since there was no receptionist and tried to call the interviewer but had to leave a message. My interview time passed, and after about 20 extra minutes, I called the agency. They had me contact HR at Cenlar, and then my interviewer came to get me. After another 30 minutes waiting, she told me she saw me in the lobby but didn't acknowledge me or apologize. The interview mostly involved her talking about Cenlar, trying to sell the company to me. I was only asked two questions and didn't get to fully answer them. I also didn't get a chance to ask my prepared questions at the end. It was an uncomfortable hour where I mostly listened. I sent a follow-up email, but it was received with no response. After two weeks, the agency also heard nothing. About a month later, I asked for feedback directly from the interviewer, but still no response. I'm sharing this because candidates should be treated with respect.

I was found on LinkedIn by Cenlar FSB for this role. The process involved three separate calls with the HR Recruiter, who was professional and had some great conversations with me about the job. Then, a phone interview with the Hiring Manager, where they asked rapid-fire questions. Finally, a video Panel interview with the VP and Hiring Manager. The Hiring Manager chose not to speak for the full hour, even though the VP tried to engage him multiple times. I get it's a tough time, but my take is they have a lot of problems, both with people and projects (did you catch that? 😊).