GfK Research Manager Interview Questions
& Process

I had a couple of interviews, the first with two Research Directors who would be the team leads. The second with the head of division. Both were easy flowing conversations, neither was at all a grilling. They were more focused on me showing intelligence and being interesting than asking "what do you do on a daily basis". They were very transparent about what they were trying to do with the division and we discussed what i wanted out of the role, including progression opportunities. The head of division was able to sketch out a roadmap for promotion in the interview for me. And then later confirmed the steps and dates involved in the offer letter he wrote.

The interview process was pretty standard. A recruiter set up two phone interviews with some of the higher-ups on the team I'd be joining. After that, I had two in-person interviews at the office with my potential direct manager and their boss. Everyone seemed really positive and said they'd get back to me in a few days. Unfortunately, I never heard back after the in-person interviews. I followed up with the recruiter, but still heard nothing. It was pretty disappointing since I invested almost 2 months in the entire process. It would have been good to get a formal response either way.

I had a first phone chat with HR from the NY office. After they screened me, I went to the local GfK office for 4 in-person interviews with the team I would join. I met with a junior person, someone at my level, my direct manager, and the head of the whole team. It was nice meeting everyone. After the interviews, I touched base with my HR contact and they said the talks went well and they'd let me know about next steps. BUT... that was over 2 months ago and I've heard nothing since. A former colleague warned me that GfK sometimes interviews people then makes them wait months before rejecting them. I emailed my HR contact about 2 weeks after my 1:1 interviews but got no reply. I'm really disappointed with how this company has treated me and would tell others that applying to GfK might be a waste of time. I've had two other interviews at smaller companies since this one, and both let me know my status within two weeks! Overall, this was a really unprofessional way to treat someone who went into the interview process honestly. It takes 2 minutes to send an email or make a call to update a candidate. I expected better from GfK.