Western Asset Management Interview Questions
& Process

It was a very slow process, took 53 days to get to the end. There were 3 Telephonic Rounds and 1 In Person interview. The first round had generic questions, the second and third rounds had technical questions. The third round also included the manager. The in-person round was 4 hours long with 5 interviewers, although one didn't even show up. Every time I followed up, the recruiter would tell me what the next round was. The most frustrating part was after all this, they said they liked me but were unsure how to hire me permanently, so they offered a contract-to-hire role. This is ridiculous; if you don't know what you need, why waste 53 days? It felt very unprofessional. The in-person interview didn't give a good vibe, and most interviewers didn't seem warm or nice. They appeared uncomfortable, and the office environment wasn't great either. My advice is don't waste people's time if you're unsure what you're looking for. It was the most unprofessional interview I've had. I declined their offer of contract-to-hire for a permanent position after 3 months because I felt their decision-making was too inconsistent. I also heard layoffs are common there, so I'm glad I didn't accept.

The recruiter Sandy reached out about my resume, which I sent in about a month ago. We chatted on the phone and she set up a time for me to talk with the hiring manager, Stevey. Stevey was a bit slow to get back to me to schedule the interview. About two weeks later, I had a phone interview where we mostly discussed my previous work. After that, Stevey invited me to come to Pasadena for a final interview with the team. Two weeks after that, I went to the headquarters in Pasadena. HR had a 3-hour schedule ready for me. I met with 6 people in those 3 hours. Five of them seemed to like me, but the person I'd be replacing didn't seem to fully support me. Stevey mentioned that if even one interviewer is against you, you probably won't get the job.

I was first contacted by HR over the phone, and they set up an initial phone interview. I don't recall much from that call, but I think they asked basic questions like 'Where do you see yourself in five years?'. After that, I came in for in-person interviews. I first met with HR again, and they asked some standard behavioral questions. Then, I met with three people from the Fund Treasury department: the manager, the supervisor, and a senior administrator. They were all nice and asked some behavioral questions, but mostly focused on my experience and problem-solving skills to see my work ethic and if I'd fit in. The office and people seemed pretty laid-back, professional, and not pretentious, suggesting a good work environment.

The interview process was intense, but not unusual for the investment industry. I had four phone interviews before being brought in for an almost all day face-to-face with multiple interviews. I was required to prepare a presentation based on the information about the company, position and its goals that I was aware of through my many interviews. I spent an entire day preparing a nice PowerPoint presentation which I presented multiple times throughout my face-to-face day. I felt the interviews went quite well and my presentation was well received. However, there was one female who came to the interview in what I can only describe as somewhat combative or defensive. However, all in all, this is a terrific firm with very professional talent and I felt that the interviews were successful. While I did follow up on my interview I was told that it would be a long process and to keep them posted if my circumstances changed (e.g. another job offer). Ultimately I spent almost two full days dedicated to pursing the opportunity and was quite disappointed in the lack of communication as after going on 4 months, I never heard anything back. I had expected that with the amount of effort they required that they would have extended the professional courtesy of letting me know they had decided to move forward without my candidacy.