I applied via LinkedIn's "Easy Apply" function, and was emailed the next day to come in for a preliminary interview the same week. At this point, I began to do more research on the company, and found a lot of information that was very troubling to me (to the point that I knew this was not a place in which I wanted to work). Nevertheless, I decided to use it as a practice interview. In hindsight, I should not have wasted my time (I left my interview in less than 5 minutes). There were many red flags...
1) On LinkedIn, the post said that only the first 50 applications would be reviewed, mine was around #60 and I still heard back.
2) When I received my email, it was along the lines of "wow you're so great, one of our top applicants, you should come in, but you have to do it fast, we're closing our interview process soon"
3) No one working there attaches their last names to emails. At no point in this process did I know whom I was communicating with. 2 different "HR Managers" set up my interview, saying that it would be with their manager, whose name was never mentioned. The receptionist asked me whom I was interviewing with when I walked in and I had to tell them that the information had not been provided.
4) Within the job posting, a lot of marketing terminology was used, however, when I arrived, I was given a spiel about how everyone starts as an Account Executive and "you too can work up to management in just 20 weeks of our training". My experience with other, legitimate firms and companies is that you work as an analyst for a year or two, and move up into an Associate role. I have a graduate degree, which is why I'm applying for Associate roles.
5) Everyone in the waiting room looked broken. None of the candidates seemed as though they wanted to be there, and I'm pretty sure the office's beta fish was dead.
6) My interviewer was smarmy and condescending. I'm not sure how much was sexism and how much was merely grotesque ego, but it was extremely off-putting. He was going on about how he clearly thought the company was the best, and maybe only a couple of people intereviewed would even be good enough to work there, why was I good enough?, etc.
7) They ask you to bring a copy of your resume because they literally have not given your resume one glance before bringing you in (also, it's weird and rare to physically go in for a first interview, usually in the sake of preserving everyone's time companies conduct the first one via phone).
8) They do not seem to give a care in the world about your education or experience level. Only entry-level jobs are available (they ask you about management experience but are not hiring for any management positions), and from the reviews and how they dodged my questions, I'm left to conclude that this means hustling products door-to-door/on the street.
Speaking of which, they couldn't answer my questions.
Ask any of the following and watch them squirm:
Can you explain the breakdown of your B2B and B2C ratio and how marketing strategy differs between the two?
What benefits are available to full-time employees? (from what I can tell they don't have healthcare, 401k, etc.)
With the widening impact of technology, what foreseeable shifts in the marketing climate do you think will impact AGM over the next five years?
Please explain to me the structure of "performance-based business" here (I saw more than one employee review about not receiving minimum wage as base pay).
What is your employee retention rate, how long are people generally employed here?
All in all: Do your research, trust your instincts, and know that the job interview goes both ways. AGM did not meet my standards.