Weirdest. Interview. Experience. Ever.
It started out with a phone interview with a recruiter on East Coast. He was “all about” hiring me and barely asked me any questions about my experience/background and QUICKLY scheduled an in-person interview at the Minneapolis office.
I arrived at the Minneapolis office for my first interview. I met with 6 people in about an hour and a half – if you do the math, that’s 15 minutes/interview. I was SUPER rushed through all of the interviews, barely had any time to ask any questions, I wasn't really asked a lot either – it was more of me showing my portfolio and what I've done with other retail brands, but VERY QUICKLY. It was so rushed that at times it was AWKWARD.
Low and behold, after that interview, I got a call back from said recruiter saying THEY LOVED ME and they wanted me to present a shopper marketing strategy for a fake brand of cereal, Nutty Flakes, PowerPoint and all. So, I consulted with a friend who is a shopper marketing professional and she help me put together what I *thought* was a top notch strategy. I arrive for the second “interview” aka the Nutty Flakes presentation, to have about 8 people to present to (thinking there would only be 4) along with the recruiter calling in for my presentation. I delivered my strategy, handled the tough questions, spent hours putting together this presentation, researching, etc. only to find out that I didn't get the job because I didn't have enough shopper marketing experience. WHAT?! It’s not like they didn't see my resume before they interviewed me and it’s not like they didn't have any opportunity to ask me any questions. I was baffled, especially after paying $40 in parking both times, which I did NOT get reimbursed for.
If you interview here, be aware. It could be awkward and uncomfortable.