Instinct Interview Questions
& Process

First, I had to complete an 8-question questionnaire that seemed to cover all the questions I'd expect in a full interview. After that, there was a 45-minute HR call where they spent most of the time trying to recruit me. My interview ended there, but I understood there would be two more virtual interviews, followed by an in-person final round in St. Louis for the selected candidates. This process seems overly rigorous for a manager-level position, suggesting a lack of confidence in their hiring approach.

The interview process kicked off with a recruiter call where they presented an exciting company overview. Next, I had an interview with the hiring manager, which involved completing a simulation. Unfortunately, after submitting the simulation, I experienced complete silence from everyone, including the recruiter, for three weeks. Eventually, I received a generic email stating the position had been filled. While I don't expect full transparency, a lack of basic respect, like a personal interaction when not moving forward, is disappointing.

This was my favorite interview experience. They really want to find someone qualified and, more importantly, a cultural fit. Everyone was open, respectful, and genuinely interested. First, a recruiter talked about Instinct, the job, and answered my questions. Be ready for a questionnaire with specific behavioral questions – be detailed and use numbers to back up your stories. Then, I interviewed with the hiring manager, likely on Teams. Have 5-7 STAR-format stories ready for behavioral questions that show your core principles and behavior patterns. Next, I had back-to-back interviews with a Supply Chain team member and a senior leader. I prepared more quantifiable examples and had lots of questions about Instinct, the role, and future challenges. Finally, if everything went well, there was a cultural interview. This was unique, focusing on fit with the team, which made the role and company even more appealing. The interviewer was again, really nice and straightforward. That’s it! It might sound like a lot, but if you're qualified and enthusiastic about the role and improving pets' lives, it can be smooth sailing.

The hiring process was pretty standard, with nice people overall, though I connected better with some than others. It involved a 2-page questionnaire that took over an hour to complete because the questions needed detailed answers, followed by 5 interview rounds spread across different days. The first round was the questionnaire. Then there was a 30-minute phone interview with HR, a 45-minute Teams interview with the hiring manager, a 30-minute Teams interview with a potential coworker, and finally a 30-minute Teams interview with the Sales Director. I sent customized thank you notes to all 5 interviewers. The total time I put into this was about 4.5 hours. I'm giving a negative review because HR ghosted me after promising to follow up the next week with feedback. I reached out again but got no response. I feel that asking for feedback after I invested 4.5 hours over 5 days isn't too much to ask. I'm a reasonable person and would have understood. It just came across as unprofessional and left a bad impression. A simple lack of courtesy. I'd advise potential applicants that they might be wasting their time.