Hawthorne Gardening Company Interview Questions
& Process

I had a phone screen with the recruiter on January 13th, 2020. Then on March 10th, 2020, I had a virtual call, which replaced the on-site due to Covid. This call was split into 6 blocks with 1-3 people in each. After the first part, I realized the role was too advanced for me due to some highly technical electrical design questions outside the scope of the interview. I emailed HR to withdraw my application. On March 17th, HR contacted me by email and phone, asking me to reconsider. They scheduled another call with the hiring manager. On March 24th, Interview #3 was with the hiring manager and another employee, who apologized for the previous interview and conducted a new one. Interview #4 was with my direct supervisor on April 2020. Interview #5 was with a salesperson from the same business unit on May 19th, 2020. On June 5th, HR informed me the position was being reopened due to COVID-related layoffs, but assured me I was still a top candidate. On July 20th, the hiring manager contacted me, stating that COVID was delaying offers and HR. In August 2020, I accepted a position elsewhere and informed HR via email, but received no response. This was a 5-month process, and I felt ghosted.

I had a final interview with the hiring manager, but then I never heard back about my application. The whole process took a while, and they stopped responding when I asked for updates or feedback on my candidacy, basically ghosting me.

So I had my final interview with the hiring manager, but after that, I never heard back about my application. It turns out they hired someone else, which I found out from a friend who works there. Honestly, it was pretty unprofessional. The whole hiring process also took way too long, even though they said they needed to fill the position fast.

Started with a phone call with the Talent Acquisition Manager in Marysville, OH. Then, I had a video call with the Category Manager, followed by a video call with the VP of Marketing. The final step was a video call with two Category Directors.