Consilium Staffing Interview Questions
& Process

I met with a recruiter named Drew Manders at Consilium Staffing. It was mostly basic chats about my background, why I'm interested in this job, why I'd be a good fit, and what my motivation is. I thought it went well, sent a thank you email, but then didn't hear back for days. I followed up a couple more times over the next 2-3 weeks and still got nothing. It was pretty frustrating since I actually went to their office for the interview, but that's how it went down.

I was contacted by a Recruiter for a Client Sales and Recruiter position. The interview process was initially good, but red flags popped up. After my first phone call with the recruiter, she asked me to come in. After that first in-person visit, she scheduled me for a second interview with a hiring team. The next day I was told I would need to take a personality test (normal, but not mentioned) and had a second phone call with someone who still hasn't quite been identified as anything more than "She's wonderful!" (Cindy? Some VP of sorts?). I know she is my recruiter's boss. After that experience, I was asked to interview for two positions. I had also received a text message saying that my application was "a big deal in the office right now." I'm a niche candidate as I am almost 30 and just finishing school, but I had over 10 years of sales experience so I suppose that stood out. I was also told that the CEO recognized my Moot Court accomplishments (Top 4% nationally)...though I did have to explain each of my academic accomplishments to the hiring teams. Alas, it seems none of those accomplishments mattered as they were quickly dismissed in the second interviews. Was a bit put off when one of the VPs mentioned that the company made him "A better Christian" and that comment certainly put me off my game. While I've been rattled in a sales environment before...even being called racist names only to sign that same client two months later, this was a bit different but just as offputting. I am extremely competitive, almost to a fault, and the experience has certainly left me a bit jaded. Obviously, readers should keep that in mind - I believe in being fair. Alas, nothing I have stated is factually wrong. My first interview with the recruiter was far more engaging than the second interview. While I understand it is my job to sell myself, I almost felt bored waiting for a question that would allow me to really show myself off. Simple example would be, "What makes you good at sales?" A bad example would be, "Why client sales?" This is because the recruiter had been pushing me towards recruiting this entire time. I admit, I was a divided candidate. Based on what I heard from my recruiter and my ability to relate to the CEO, 10 minutes with the CEO would have gotten me a job while four hours of interviewing for two different positions did not. I'm a hustler and I don't need morning pep talks to get me moving. I work 14 hour days and spend the rest of the spare time either with my family or improving my skills.

I had 4 interviews total. First was a phone interview with a recruiter. They asked standard questions to see if I met the basic requirements. Second was an in-person with the same recruiter. At the end of that interview, I took some personality and IQ tests. The recruiter went over them with me and we scheduled the final interviews for the next day with 2 panels. The recruiter was helpful and coached me throughout. The first panel interview was with the owners and senior management, they were all very friendly, honest, and straightforward. The second panel interview was with 2 employees, one senior rep and one newer rep. I got an offer the day after.

This was a very shady and not transparent process from the start. I was initially told a salary of $60k, but the offer letter was lowered to $55k without any prior mention during multiple in-person interviews. After accepting the offer and showing up for my first day, my offer was rescinded just 3 days before my start date, and I never received any notice about this. This all occurred after I had already given my previous employer notice to leave them for Consilium. Consilium has shown complete disregard and disrespect for candidates' livelihoods, which is beyond unprofessional. I definitely would not recommend this company.