Darden Interview Questions
& Process

Applied in January and was still being considered in May, but I withdrew my application. The interview process was pretty good, and I was even considered for a more senior position than I applied for. It had 3-4 interviews, which is typical for mid-level roles now. One interview was a 6-hour marathon at their corporate office. Everyone was really nice, especially HR, so it's a shame it didn't work out. Just be aware that I waited almost six months for this job, and I probably should have looked elsewhere.

Had a phone call with the recruiter where they shared details about the role. I followed up, but didn't hear back for almost two weeks. Then, I got a generic email saying the job was filled or unavailable. I have HR experience from larger companies, so keeping candidates updated shouldn't be difficult. Fortunately, by the time I received that email, I had already accepted another offer from a company that communicated better.

The first interview was super quick. The second one was a bit longer but pretty easy. Once you're done with training, a manager will talk to you about the menu and how to cook steaks, and stuff like that. You'll have to memorize some things, but it's not too hard, and they'll show you exactly what you need to learn.

I applied online and heard back from the recruiter via text. We scheduled a screening call, and she seemed really impressed with my resume, even complimenting me on being a great candidate. Next, I had an interview with someone who seems to be the gatekeeper for the manager I'd report to. I'm not sure what the issue was, but this person was really standoffish and even tried to downplay my advanced degree at one point! I honestly think they felt intimidated or uncomfortable with me. They asked questions that they clearly thought were brilliant, but none of them made sense or related to the job. Given that they're still posting the job almost a year later, I guess I dodged a bullet.