Emler Swim School Interview Questions
& Process

So the process for the General Manager role involved a few steps. First, there was an initial screen with HR over the phone. After that, I had an interview with the Regional Manager via video call. Then, there was a visit to a school in the area where I did some observation and shadowing, and also had an in-person interview with the Regional Manager again. Finally, I had an interview with the Region VP.

I applied online for the CSM position at one of their Houston locations and Emler was quick to call and set up interviews. I applied on a Wednesday and they contacted me for a phone interview the same day. I had the phone interview the next Monday and then scheduled an in-person interview for the following Wednesday. Both interviews went well and they asked me for a third interview, which was a working interview. Since their Houston locations weren't open, I was asked to drive to Austin the next Tuesday for it. Before the third interview, I was asked for my references; they requested 3 professional references and sent them an email with 7 questions, 4 of which asked for specific examples of 'times where I...'. I drove to Austin and arrived on time for my interview. When I arrived, no one was at the front desk and after waiting a few minutes, I informed someone I had an interview, but they didn't know I was coming. Apparently, the managers were in a meeting and someone would start the process after they were done. I started the interview with that location's CSM but was told after about half an hour that I would do a lesson with an instructor. The CSM asked basic interview questions I had already answered. I was supposed to be checking people in and talking to families, but it was difficult since I had never worked there before. The front desk staff seemed distracted and were fixing computer documents, so I wasn't sure if I was checking people in correctly. I was at the front desk for about an hour and didn't really do anything or talk to anyone due to their issues. I didn't get to the water lesson on time because the manager who was supposed to interview me next wasn't out of their meeting yet. When the time came, I was told to change and get in the water. The water lesson went well (I had no prior experience in swim lessons so I just encouraged the kids as they completed tasks) and after getting out of the water, I spoke with 3 more people about the job. These 3 people asked me all the same questions from the first 2 interviews and all seemed distracted, continuing to work/observe the pool. I struggled to answer the questions because it was hard to focus on someone not focused on me, and answering the same questions repeatedly made me lose my train of thought. After the last person, I was told I would hear something by the end of the week. I waited to say bye to some people but everyone seemed to disappear so I left and drove back to Houston. I didn't hear back from Emler until 6 days later via an automated email saying I was not offered the position. I emailed back thanking them for their time and asked for suggestions for improvement or anything they noticed during the interview process, but received no response. Given the lack of focus during the 3rd interview and poor communication, my gut feeling is they intended to hire internally and interviewed outside candidates as a formality. I was also extremely angry they didn't reimburse me for traveling to another city for just one interview, 170 miles round trip for a 2.5-hour interview. Emler claims mutual respect for customers and employees, but that was not evident in their interview process.

Emler seems to be experiencing growing pains, and I'm uncertain about their hiring criteria. My interview process spanned almost a month. I applied for a specific location, but none of the interviewers recalled which one it was, highlighting a clear communication breakdown. I completed all stages of their hiring process. The final interview was at their corporate office, where some comments about my regional background and work experience were made, which I found unsatisfactory. Condescending remarks were also present. Strangely, I wasn't asked any questions relevant to the Manager-In-Training role I applied for. They seemed more focused on my high school and college part-time job history than actual job-related inquiries. Everyone I interacted with during the interviews appeared unhappy and unenthusiastic.

After applying, I got a call within a week for a short ten-minute phone interview. The next day, they called to set up an in-person interview. The third interview was an in-water session to see how I'd handle the kids and the environment. The whole thing was super fast and simple! They make you feel welcome right away. They're really careful about who they hire as teachers, and for good reason!