Klöckner Pentaplast Interview Questions
& Process

I applied on a Tuesday via the career website for the Key Account Manager role. Just 2 days later, I got a response and scheduled interviews with local HR for Friday morning and the hiring manager in the US. This was super fast, good, and appreciative, exceeding my expectations. Top performance! The interview with local HR in German went very well, giving me the feeling of being among the inner circle of potential candidates. However, the interview with the American hiring manager was more than strange. My CV was barely touched upon, though good questions were asked (see below). Then there was a monologue about how this person envisions Key Account management (2000 customers worldwide, but this is NOT Key Account management in the pharma world). When I asked how to collaborate with the local sales team, no answer was provided. They said they would get back to me in the coming weeks. Since I personally know some ex-employees of KP, I gathered comprehensive information about the hiring manager and the work culture of this private equity firm and concluded that I would not be able to accept the hiring manager as my leader. I wanted to inform local HR about this. When I finally reached them after 9 weeks, they suddenly said: 'Oh, the position was filled yesterday.' (What a coincidence!). The applicant tracking system still showed my application as 'in progress'. I then withdrew my application myself and informed the actual recruiter for the position that I had made a different decision. I also informed the concerned individuals and their superiors in writing about the unprofessional, unappreciative behavior towards me. The interviews took place in mid-September 2024. Today, end of January 2025, I could not identify anyone in this position, and the job is online again.

The interviews for the KP site in Bern, Switzerland took place. There were 2 interview rounds within 1 week. The interviews were easy and the offer was made a few days after the interview. Salary negotiations started and the company kept me waiting for 3 weeks. Then it sent me a rejection by email. Very unprofessional and disrespectful behavior, especially when you make an offer and then ignore the applicant.

I got the application submitted online and then about a week later, I received an unexpected call from HR. Suddenly, I was in a phone interview that wasn't scheduled. As a professional in 2023, I find it hard to believe that someone would be expected to immediately get into interview mode and answer complex questions on the spot. There was no pre-arrangement like 'Can I call you at this time?' or 'Are you free to chat now?'. They just jumped straight into an unscheduled interview with technical questions. This is unlike anything I've encountered in my career. Two weeks after the call, I got an email stating they wouldn't be proceeding with my application. Frankly, I expected better from a company that is well-known and originally from Germany. I'm actually glad we didn't move forward. It seems like HR is too disorganized to schedule meetings properly. I don't see myself wanting to work for such an organization. I've decided to share this to warn future applicants. If HR operates this way, what can be expected from the rest of the company?

The interview process involved discussions around payments, cash management, forecasting payment proposals, analyzing deviations and errors, follow-up meetings, and correlating with all departments to ensure timely completion. Feedback was provided to others, and there were discussions about software and process harmonization.