West Technology Group Project Manager Interview Questions
& Process

I was contacted by a recruiter from West Corporation, who is based in Colorado. We scheduled a phone interview, which was a very smooth and professional experience. The recruiter was friendly, warm, and extremely helpful. Afterward, I had a follow-up Skype call with the manager and the team I would be working with. There was also an onsite interview at the office location where I would be working. The entire HR team was great from beginning to end, very responsive to all my calls and emails when I needed help or had follow-up questions.

So, this interview experience was genuinely the worst I've ever had. It started with the typical phone screen, and then I moved on to a panel interview with four senior leaders. This group included two VPs and two Directors, and one of them was the hiring manager. The interview kicked off with them informing me that the salary range I had agreed upon with the HR SVP was actually 30% lower than what they were willing to offer. Following that, they acted as if having to interview a potential candidate was the absolute worst part of their jobs. They were completely unable to answer even the simplest questions about the company or the role itself. When I asked about the functional areas their department covers or the types of projects I'd be leading, they looked at me like I was from another planet. They also got into an argument with me about my reasons for leaving Wells Fargo. I told them honestly that I enjoy my work and need to explore new challenges every few years to stay current in the IT field. All four of them smirked and commented, 'that's not what we hear from the other folks coming out of Wells Fargo.' It seems they prefer candidates who are unhappy in their jobs. The interview, which was scheduled for 1.5 hours, ended abruptly in 33 minutes because everyone seemed eager to escape the awkwardness. Strangely, I received an offer a few weeks later, which I obviously declined.

First, I spoke with Carys for an initial interview. She was professional, polite, friendly, informative, and positive. Then, I had my second interview with Laura, the manager I'd be reporting to. She was also very professional and polite. This time, I answered direct questions testing my project management knowledge. The questions were clever, designed to find out what I knew and if I had any gaps, and also to give me a feel for the company culture. My third interview was with Laura again, plus one of my potential colleagues. This one was more about whether I'd be a good team and personality fit, to see if we could work well together. The whole thing was done remotely over Webex, and it went really well.