Republic Services Interview Questions
& Process

It's a long process with a few steps to really see if you're qualified and a good fit. First, a recruiter or HR person will chat with you to check the basics and see if you vibe with the company culture. Then, you'll meet with different department heads and team leads who will assess your technical skills, how you solve problems, and your experience. If you make it through, you'll have more detailed talks with senior execs, and the last step is an interview with the CEO. This way, they get a good look at you from different angles across the leadership team, so they can really evaluate your potential impact.

The interview started off normally with a call from HR for an in-person interview. That went fine. Then, instead of a proper call, I got a text from the operations manager asking me to call her back. I did quickly, but then heard nothing all weekend until she texted again. She asked me to come in for a 'Pre-employment Preview' where I would watch someone do the job for an hour to 'see if I liked it.' When I arrived, the hiring manager said she had a last-minute meeting but wanted me to stay until it was over so we could talk. During the preview, the employee mentioned high turnover in the position, which had been hard to fill for 3 years. I asked why, and we discussed challenges like mandatory 50-hour weeks that recently changed. After the hour, the manager said she had to leave and couldn't talk but would reach out Monday. Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday passed with no word, then I got an automated rejection email. I texted the manager for feedback but got no response. I emailed HR asking for feedback too, still nothing. Apparently, the manager wasn't in a meeting but was secretly watching the preview and didn't like that I asked about the turnover. I learned this from a current employee. This place had serious red flags regarding transparency, honesty, and communication.

I went through 4 interview rounds. First, I spoke with HR. Then, I had a 30-minute chat with the direct manager. After that, a 30-minute interview with the director. Finally, a panel interview with the team where I had to give a presentation and demo it. The only instructions for the presentation were the time and topic. I asked clarifying questions to ensure my preparation was aligned. HR was efficient and provided clear info, but I later learned I received conflicting details. My direct manager said I'd be training managers and senior leaders, so I tailored my presentation for that audience, even asking specific questions about my topic and activities. After the panel, HR told me I didn't get the job. When I asked why, they said I wasn't a good fit for training blue collar workers. This audience was different from what I was initially told, leading to my rejection. It was frustrating because of the inconsistent communication and unclear expectations, but maybe it's for the best.

I had an interview with the hiring manager first and passed. Then the next week I had another interview with the hiring manager, another manager, and a senior QA specialist. The senior QA person asked all the questions. During the interview, the second manager who wasn't there for the first interview dropped off the Zoom call without saying anything; I think a heads-up would have been nice, but maybe she had an urgent call or internet issues. I wasn't given any interview prep, so for a QA role, I expected more questions about my experience like 'tell me about a time...' and lots of JavaScript questions. Instead, I got a lot of 'textbook' questions about minor details and didn't really get into the core of what testing involves. Unlike my first interview with the hiring manager, this second interview felt really dry and impersonal. The questions didn't really check if I could code and test; I guess if I had memorized definitions and syntax, I would have been more prepared. But based on my experience, that's not how most technical interviews for this kind of job go.