Federated Service Solutions Interview Questions
& Process

HR recruiter called me for a phone screen, then I went in person a few days later. The second interview was with their HR Director who asked basically the same questions, just phrased a little differently, which was odd but okay. The third interview was with the Operations Director and the questions were very similar, maybe even the exact same. Maybe they do this to make sure our answers are consistent, I'm not sure. I was hoping for different kinds of questions, like behavioral, direct, or situational. I did have to do a ProveIt test, which was a bummer because it's a script that only accepts one way of doing things. Excel has many ways to solve problems, but if you don't use the one the script wants, it says you're wrong even if your answer is right. I also got the impression they need someone who can regularly work after hours for projects or emails, as they asked multiple questions about working overtime and being available after hours. This might be specific to the position, and while I don't mind, others might. The potential for career growth looks good and it seems like a great place to kickstart a career if you align with their business model. They could maybe make the interview process more like a team effort, perhaps with group interviews or Skype calls for some stages, because it was hard to get away from my current job for multiple in-person interviews.

I started the interview process back in February 2014 and had a great initial phone chat with the HR Assistant. I was really stoked about the job, thinking it was a perfect match. They said they'd let me know about the next steps, but then it was a whole month before I heard anything. I reached out, and they told me that 'other hiring' took priority. In April, I had a second phone interview with the same assistant, again with apologies for the wait. Then in May, I finally spoke to the HR Director, but that call had to be rescheduled last minute. After that, in June, I had two more interviews with other senior management folks. One of those also got rescheduled last minute, and the other person called in late. Both of them assured me a decision would be made soon. At this point, I was glad I'd been patient because things seemed to be moving. I was told I was a really strong candidate and was asked for all my references. They mentioned a 'group' interview was coming up (a fifth interview?!). They also said they needed to hire someone within a couple of weeks, max. Well, that was over a month ago, and it's now mid-July. I tried a few times to get an update from HR, but I got tired of the super long process. I realized I wouldn't be happy working there after the whole runaround. Even if they offered me the job, I wouldn't take it because I figured working there would just uncover more problems I didn't want to deal with. I sent a final, polite email to the HR Assistant and HR Director, pointing out how long I'd been waiting and basically pushed for a decision, knowing what the answer would likely be, but wanting to make a point. I got the response I expected: they said they'd figured out how the team wanted to proceed, enjoyed speaking with me, but didn't think it was a good fit and would move forward with other candidates. They used the excuse about priority hiring again and basically lectured me for getting impatient after six months! I recruit, interview, and hire people myself and always let candidates know the outcome as common courtesy, even if they're a bad fit. Nobody should have to interview with four people and wait six months for a hiring decision.

The phone interview was typical, but the subsequent stages were extremely micromanaged. I received a very detailed 4-page email covering arrival instructions, parking, application completion, and when to ask questions. They wanted an excessive amount of documentation if an offer was extended. Upon arrival, despite being on time, I was made to wait, and the HR representative was impolite and disengaged. I would only recommend applying for this role if you are comfortable with being micromanaged.

I was initially called in for an interview, and then there were several more interviews after that. The whole interview process was very long and they asked some ridiculous questions. I never got an offer, and no one ever got back to me to let me know I didn't make the cut. I pretty much figured it out myself.