Markel Interview Questions
& Process

The interview was split into two parts. The first part was with the hiring manager and it was really good. They gave me a lot of good info about the job, the company, and where they're going. The second interview was a bit weird, I think it was supposed to be more technical, but it seemed like they hired some outside consultants for it. There were supposed to be two consultants on the call, but only one showed up. He seemed confused about why he was there and didn't know where the other person was. He asked a few general questions and then told me he doesn't know anything about the role or the company. He also wasn't clear on what his job or his company does for Markel. It was a really short chat, unlike the first meeting with the hiring manager, which was way more helpful from my perspective as someone interviewing.

The interview process involved several panel interviews with two people each. It started with the Hiring Manager, followed by three more rounds of interviews, and then the offer. The whole thing took about a month from applying to getting the offer. Questions were pretty straightforward, with a few small behavioral ones mixed in, and it felt more conversational.

It was a face-to-face interview. After the interview, there was no communication from Markel or their recruitment partner. I had to chase the recruitment partner myself for the outcome, and they said they thought Markel was going to contact me directly. It was poor treatment for a well-known company. My request is that in the future, if an applicant reaches the interview stage but is not selected, you actually provide the outcome and feedback. This is common decency, especially when a candidate takes time to attend in person. Constructive input on where a candidate might be lacking, and guidance on skills or improvements to focus on, helps candidates prepare for future opportunities. Ghosting or not respecting candidates enough to provide an outcome is not reasonable.

The interview process was pretty bad. The first interviewer was almost 10 minutes late, but I figured that could happen. Then, the next interview was scheduled for the following week, and they just didn't show up. They only reached out at 4 pm with an explanation. After that, they told me they had two more interviews the week after with other candidates and I'd hear back soon. That didn't happen either. They actually postponed those interviews without even letting me know – I had to chase the recruiter multiple times because there was zero communication. It took the company three weeks to tell me the final decision. I got the feeling they totally forgot about me and my interviews because it took so long between my interviews and the other applicants'. It was just unprofessional from the start.