The Kaizen Company Interview Questions
& Process

An external recruiting agency introduced me to this role. I had an initial meeting with an SVP. The interview started reasonably well and was somewhat informal. However, at several points, the hiring manager stressed how crucial it is to have a strong Rolodex and to contact former clients from current/past jobs. In today's world of NDAs and Non-Compete agreements, I felt that trying to poach clients from previous employers wasn't a smart move. Also, I've never had to contact former clients from past employers to meet my sales targets. In the end, I decided not to continue with the application.

Applied and was quickly contacted for a first-round interview on-site. The manager who interviewed me was in a bad mood from the start and was a bit rude. The questions he asked were normal but his approach/energy towards me was odd. I was surprised to be contacted for a second interview on-site, after reaching out. The second interview was with another manager, normal and easy interview questions, and I thought it went really well. They told me to send them my references but I don't think they were ever contacted. I reached out to the hiring manager and have been ghosted, which I really don't appreciate as I came into DC twice from another city for these interviews. Regardless, it seems like a good place to get your foot in the door for the development field, in a small but fast-growing company.

This process felt way too long. I submitted my resume, cover letter, writing sample/references, and then had to answer 7 short answer questions they sent over after the initial application. Then I had an interview, and even though the interviewer said I'd hear back in about 2 weeks, and again after I sent my thank you email, they never responded. It was really discouraging, especially considering all the effort required for the application for an internship. And it was from the HR department too!

I applied online without any internal referrals. The first step was a phone interview where I was asked to walk through my resume and talk about myself. A significant part of that call was dedicated to me learning about the specifics of Kaizen's work. The subsequent interview was in person and felt more like an assessment of personality, cultural fit, and suitability for the position rather than a technical skills evaluation. After each of these interviews, I received feedback within a few days.