NRG Energy Interview Questions
& Process

A recruiter reached out to me on LinkedIn. Then I had a phone call with the recruiter, followed by a video call with three managers. The questions were pretty easy overall. Two questions were specifically pointed, bringing up concerns they had about me. One question was about me "leaving jobs quickly." People switch jobs often because they are underpaid and undervalued, and changing jobs is the fastest way to get a pay raise. If you see that as a red flag, you should question what you are doing to make sure employees want to stay at your company long-term. The next question was about me pursuing an additional master's in data science. It was really obvious they saw me pursuing this degree as a threat. I don't get that perspective - someone getting more education shows initiative, dedication, and a strong work ethic. These are qualities that should be valued on any team at any company. The skills I learned in that degree could have been useful for this job. People don't leave jobs just because the job title isn't exactly what's on their diploma. And if they're so worried about people leaving that they're looking for any excuse to accuse an applicant of wanting to leave the position in the future, they have bigger issues.

So, the interview had two parts. First up was a chat with the hiring manager about my background and how I've used Excel and worked with teams. Then, the second part was a virtual panel interview with the team, the manager, and the manager's manager. We talked a lot about behavioral stuff and technical things like Excel scenarios, data modeling, SQL, and Power BI. They also checked if I'd fit in with the team and what my long-term potential looked like. It all went pretty smoothly, felt professional, and I learned a lot.

First I spoke with HR, who told me the role pays between 120K – 170K. I said I'd take 150K and they seemed fine with it. Then I met the hiring manager and after that, about 4-5 other people on the team. The whole thing took over 2 months. After I met the hiring manager a second time, they told me they’d want me to give them SEO feedback on their website as part of the interview. They sent a list of about a dozen questions asking for my top SEO initiatives for their site. They’ve apparently been trying to fill this role for over 7 months and it seems like they’re trying to get free consulting from candidates. I decided to go along with it since I have a lot of experience and knew I could do well. In the end, they said they wanted to move forward but offered me a base salary of 120K plus a bonus that wouldn’t even get me to the 150K we discussed. They wouldn’t change anything. This company is looking for people to give them FREE SEO consulting and work for less than market pay, and I’m not even sure they ever really wanted to hire anyone. They lure you in with a high salary range and then offer the lowest amount. It was a complete waste of my time.

So, there were 2 interviews. The first one was with the team I'd be working with daily. They asked questions based on my resume, focusing on how I've handled and solved workplace challenges. They also wanted to see if I'd be a good fit for the company culture and the team. The second interview was in person. It was similar to the first, but the department head, a Senior Exec, was there. They hadn't gotten direct feedback on me yet, so this was their chance.