Kate Somerville Interview Questions
& Process

we went for coffee and they gave me the job right away. they seemed eager to fill the position, but I wanted something low-key. we mostly talked about their lives and a little about the skincare products. I ended up asking most of the questions.

I applied online and then HR called me to set up the in-person interview. I made sure to get there early because you never know about traffic, especially since it's in Beverly Hills, and it's good to be early anyway. HR put me in the conference room to wait for the interviewer from the creative department. I showed them my portfolio and talked about my role and experiences, like I usually do in interviews. They asked me about my design process at companies and what inspires me, which are common interview questions. At the end, they asked if I had any questions, so I asked about the workload, my responsibilities, and the growth opportunities. The designers I spoke with answered my questions directly. After that, the HR person came back and asked more basic interview questions. They mentioned they were still interviewing candidates and would contact top people for a second interview. I got the HR person's business card and asked if I could follow up in a couple of weeks, and they were fine with that. Hopefully, I'll get a callback and can join this high-end beauty company with nice coworkers.

I was referred by a friend of the hiring manager. The initial call with the hiring manager went super well; he was professional, knew his stuff, and seemed genuinely interested in how I'd fit in. We clicked, and he invited me for a second interview to meet senior leadership. I was really hoping this would work out, especially since my friend who referred me had warned me the CEO was 'nuts'. But after that first chat, I felt good. My in-person, second round had three interviews: the previous person in this role (now in PR), the CEO, and the CFO. The chat with the PR manager was chill, mostly getting to know each other, and we really hit it off, talking for almost an hour. Then came the CEO. Total disaster. Instead of a conversation, she hit me with super granular, ridiculous questions, the kind you'd expect from a recruiter, not a CEO. When she did ask something that seemed important, it had absolutely nothing to do with the job. It was obvious she didn't know what she was doing or much about my industry, even though she tried to act like she did. It was a mess. She took pages of notes, probably to intimidate me, avoided eye contact, wouldn't let me speak, interrupted constantly, and tried to twist my words against me. No strategy or personality questions were asked. The CFO seemed more engaged, but I got the vibe she wasn't convinced I was the right fit and tried to spin everything I said negatively. The whole experience left me with a really bad impression of the company and its leadership.

It was a great interview experience, the interviewer was nice and kind. They asked good, relevant questions, and I felt very comfortable. Unfortunately, I wasn't qualified and wasn't offered the job, but it was a good experience overall.