Geosyntec Consultants Interview Questions
& Process

So far I have only completed the first interview, which was the 45 minute phone screening, though mine actually took 1 hour. At the scheduled time I got a phone call from the recruiter and she asked a lot of questions. The first main thing I was asked was to just explain my resume to them. Then she started a lot of hypothetical questions meant to see your personality and how you would fit into their team. I remember being asked "If you disagree with a coworker about how to proceed with something on a project, what would you do?". They also asked the obvious "Why Geosyntec?" and some general questions about the role like if I'd be okay doing long field work days. Overall, it was a lot of questions and kind of long so I was quite tired by the end of it, but the recruiter was super nice and it was a good experience. I've been invited to the proceed to the second round, which is a 30-minute teams call with the hiring manager.

This company reached out to me directly, I didn't apply. The recruiter or HR person was nice. We had a 30-minute chat, then two back-to-back virtual interviews. One of the managers asked if I'd be willing to go downtown for a test, and I said sure. About a week later, they let me know I was out of the running, but without any reason. I thanked them and asked for feedback on why I wasn't considered, but never heard back. So, it wasn't a complete ghosting since they told me my status, but it would've been polite to explain why I was no longer a candidate, especially since they initiated contact.

The interview process kicked off with a quick call from a recruiter, but it cut short due to some tech glitches. Not long after, the hiring manager, who'd be my direct boss, unexpectedly called and asked if I had a moment to chat. That impromptu call turned into a full-blown interview, with structured questions about why I picked Geosyntec, my future ambitions, and how I manage my tasks. I was totally unprepared for an interview at that point. Following the call, he wanted an in-person meeting within a week. This would have meant taking time off work, which is standard, but when I tried to reschedule because of personal stuff, he was rigid about only one specific day being available. He also mentioned upfront that the company might not be able to match my salary expectations, even though my desired range was fair for my experience. He also hinted at a really demanding work environment, including last-minute travel, and gave off vibes of being a micromanager. A big red flag for me was when he asked for my official college transcripts with grades and wanted to contact references before I'd even gotten or accepted an offer, and well before a final interview. With my professional background, this felt unnecessary and weird for this stage. Anyway, before the in-person interview could even happen, I got an offer from another company with better pay, benefits, and a better overall fit, which I happily accepted. I let him know I'd accepted another role and had to cancel the interview. He then asked if he'd messed up during the process and what company and role I'd accepted. I decided not to reply.

It was a pretty thorough process with 4 interviews. The interviewers were clearly experienced and skilled, and they did a good job of selling the role while being upfront about the difficulties. During a warm-up question, I was asked to do my best 'g'day'. I also got feedback that another candidate was 'just more Australian,' which made me think about potential bias in hiring, possibly unconscious, towards Australian candidates. This might have been unintentional, but the language used can sometimes reflect people's underlying thoughts.