The job descriptions for many Tetra Tech jobs look like they were written just for me, so over the past year I’ve applied for about twenty job openings. One division in particular, ARD has the international market and specific missions that I wanted to be a part of. They just had to meet me to want me, or so I thought.
I wasn’t having any luck getting an interview from my submitted online application materials. So, having nothing to lose, I contacted one of the VPs (several times) and this action probably landed me an interview.
The interview for a Tetra Tech ARD job that I really wanted and had been advertised for seven months, I felt they were just waiting for me, the perfect candidate for this job :). I burned up some airline reward miles and got a ticket, bought a new suit coat, did my research home on the company.
My first red flag was the HR contact, located in Burlington VT told me none- to-gently that the Division was not going to reimburse me for any expenses such as a flight and furthermore I would not get any “brownie points” by coming a long way to the interview. I did not expect any extra points for my determination but did not expect the harsh pronouncement. Maybe the HR lady was from another country and culture and her words came out sounding stronger than necessary.
My second red flag was the main guy entered the interview/meeting room ten minutes later than the other three interviewers. Ok, so maybe he had a real important phone call. But he made eye contact only twice during our short lived relationship. As I said, I had done my homework, researching Tetra Tech but the alpha male surprised me by emphatically stating the division ARD was not a part of Tetra Tech, "we have nothing to do with them”. Ok, that blew my carefully prepared business questions out of the room.
About eight question were asked. I was nervous initially and unfortunately continued in this anxious spiral. The interviewees were so distant they were icebergs. My response sentences were sounding like gibberish. The alpha male allowed me one question at the end and I was shown the door after 25 total minutes. It was the worst interview of my life. So my advice… keep your expectations low, don’t invest too much hope, effort or money into the interview and lastly maybe be a guy. As a lady, I will never know nor will I ever walk through that glass door again.