ZEISS Group Product Manager Interview Questions
& Process

First online interview with HR. Second online interview with two managers from the area (future boss). Third on-site interview with two managers from the area (future boss). Interviews were very spaced out, at least 3 weeks between each interview.

I applied online in June and was set up for a phone screening within 3 days. The screening interview was nice and lasted 45 minutes. I was told the screening would be done by July 4th and second round candidates would be interviewed 1:1. I didn't hear back so I followed up in mid-July by email. I was told the process was taking longer than expected but that I'd hear from HR soon. I was scheduled for a 1:1 interview with my potential boss at the start of August. The interview was scheduled for 1 hour but went for nearly 2.5 hours. It was a very nice interview with both formal and informal questions about my experience and management style. I liked that he paid attention to detail and explained the products and Zeiss's goals for them. About a week later, I was scheduled for a second 1:1 interview with the VP of Sales, VP of Marketing, and HR manager. These interviews lasted about 3 hours and included typical questions and personal conversation. The next step for third-round candidates was an interview with the GM, expected the last week of August. I hadn't gotten any feedback by the end of August, so I followed up to see if I hadn't been selected for round 3. I was told the process was slower than expected and to be patient. I still hadn't heard back by mid-August so I called again, mainly to get closure. I was again told to be patient and that the process was taking longer than expected. I waited until the first week of October to contact my contact, and he told me they went in another direction and was surprised HR hadn't contacted me. I was impressed with the people I met, but their HR process seemed unprofessional and took way too long. My interview process took 4 months, multiple vacation days, hours in the car, hours of prep, and several closure calls... and HR didn't even send a polite rejection email.

The interview process was not well organized and it seemed like there weren't any requirements from external sources. There was unnecessary grilling, and the recruiter never got back after 3 rounds that spanned over a month. It was not a good experience overall.