Northwest Center Receptionist Interview Questions
& Process

I applied through a staffing agency for a few entry-level receptionist jobs. I spoke with two recruiters, and they thought I would be a good fit for this role. I had an initial phone interview with the staffing agent and two days later heard back from her that the Northwest Center folks (Amazon) wanted to meet me for an interview. The next week, I went to the campus and met with two women in charge of the receptionist program. The questions were very simple, and the interview lasted less than 40 minutes. It mostly seemed like a formality. The next day, my recruiter called me to say they wanted to offer me the position.

The interview process began with a phone call where they asked me why I wanted the job and how I found out about the company. After that, I was invited for a formal interview. I arrived a bit early, and the interviewer was prompt, but things seemed to go downhill from there. The interviewer didn't seem very qualified or interested in whether I was a good fit, only if I could answer the questions she was reading from a paper. Then, I had to take a typing test with a children's typing website to check my words per minute, followed by a written test that was basically more interview questions. I was also told that all receptionists spend 2-3 weeks acting as a 'banista' (handing out bananas at a stand in Seattle) and rotate between over 30 Amazon campuses during the first three months. It's a temp-to-hire role, and I was told I'd hear back by the end of the week.

I had an interview with Northwest Center, who does reception for Amazon. I had actually interviewed with them about 8 months ago for a similar role but took another job. When that didn't work out, I contacted the hiring manager here and they still had an opening. We set up an interview on the Amazon campus. When the recruiter met me, we went to a conference room for the interview. She had a worksheet with questions and space to write my answers. It felt more like an exam than a conversation. She interrupted me a few times while I was answering, which was disruptive. She seemed rushed, checking her phone and watch a lot, making it feel like she didn't have time for the interview. At the end, I was offered the job on the spot and asked for a day to consider. I emailed her the same day for the benefits info, reviewed it, and emailed back that night to discuss it more. The next morning, I got an email from someone I hadn't met saying the job was filled. I confirmed with the recruiter that this was true. It's bad business to offer a job and then fill it when the candidate wants to discuss it further. It was also very impersonal to find out via email from a stranger that the offered job was filled.