Sunrise Senior Living Managing Director Interview Questions
& Process

It was a behavioral interview. They had a few rounds, and they explained that they wanted to make sure it was a good fit for the company. The time between interviews was fast because they wanted to fill the position quickly. Most of the interviews were over the phone, and there was a visit to a community to talk to another Executive Director and "job shadow". Like others mentioned, there was also an online personality test to take before starting the interview process. After the fifth round, I decided it wasn't a good personal fit and dropped out. No offer was made, but I felt like I would have been offered the job.

So I applied and heard back from recruiting within about a week, and we had a first phone chat, maybe 30 mins. Then, just 2 days later, the hiring manager called me for a second phone interview. About a week after that, I went in person to meet the hiring manager. After that, I had a bunch of interviews with the rest of the leadership team, and then a final interview where I met with a panel of VPs. It was a really long process overall, but honestly, the people there were fantastic. They were super professional but also made me feel really comfortable and welcome. I was really impressed by how experienced everyone was and how much they cared about finding the right person for the job. At the specific location I interviewed at, they had managers who had been working there for more than 20 years, which was amazing. I even met people who started out as caregivers and worked their way up to top leadership roles because they pursued education and got promoted.

The hiring process with this place is unlike anything I've experienced. I applied for the position over 4 months ago and have been through five lengthy interviews. It started with a phone call, then an in-person meeting, followed by a team interview, a job shadow, and concluded with an interview with the VP. The team interview was particularly strange; it's baffling why the opinions of maintenance staff and head cooks would be sought for hiring someone to run the business, especially since they likely aren't consulted on major community business decisions. It felt less like a professional evaluation and more like a popularity contest, which seems to be how Sunrise operates. Furthermore, all the individuals I would be managing were given my resume to ask questions, which I found intrusive given that my qualifications should be evident from my presence in the interview. Many of the questions were also irrelevant to the executive director role and felt more like an attack than a genuine interview. This explains the high turnover rate noted in reviews. I've since accepted a better-paying position within a month. As a hiring manager, I can assess a candidate within 10 minutes, making the extensive 12+ hours of interviews at this company seem excessive. To add to the frustration, there has been no communication regarding the hiring decision. While I can handle rejection, my aim in sharing this is to warn others that the hiring process for administrative roles at this company is far from quick. It's a shame how many potentially good candidates they might miss out on due to their exhausting and drawn-out interview system.