I recently applied for the Employee Experience Manager role at Consumer Cellular. Although I was initially interested in the position, my overall experience with the interview has left a bitter taste for the company.
Before applying, I noticed the company had a 3-star rating on Glassdoor, which was the lowest among the telecommunications companies I researched. Despite this, I decided to move forward, hoping for a positive experience.
44 days ago, I reached out to discuss the role and set up a meeting with the recruiter. Unfortunately, when the scheduled time arrived, the recruiter did not show up. After I reached out, she apologized and rescheduled. The new meeting time conflicted with my work schedule, but I adjusted my lunch break to accommodate the call. However, the recruiter didn’t contact me until 15 minutes after the scheduled time, which made it difficult for me to continue the conversation.
At this point, I considered withdrawing my application, but after receiving a sincere apology from the recruiter, I decided to proceed.
My first interview with the hiring manager was mostly focused on the company’s history, the role, and logistical details such as office locations and team structure. While I appreciated the information, I was only asked one or two questions about my experience. I found myself trying to interject relevant examples of my work and engagement philosophies during the "conversation".
I was told I would hear back by the end of the week but received an update the following Tuesday. This slight delay, while not significant on its own, added to a growing sense that communication could have been more timely.
I proceeded to a second interview with both the hiring manager and the VP of HR. Once again, the focus was on the company’s history rather than my qualifications or experience, almost word for word the same speel I got from the hiring manager the week before. The only question I was asked during this interview was "give me a summary of your work experience". Zero follow-up questions were asked, which left me feeling somewhat uncertain about my fit for the role and truly the culture of the company.
A week after I interviewd, I was informed that I was still a top candidate but that they needed to interview one more person who was currently on vacation in Europe. I was told to expect an update the following week. However, three weeks and two days later, I received a voicemail from the recruiter stating that the role had been canceled due to realignment.
Overall, I spent 44 days in the interview process. While everyone I met was kind, the overall experience was disorganized, disrespectful of my time, and completely lacking in professionalism. If Consumer Cellular wants to uphold its core values, feedback like this is crucial, because what I experienced was unacceptable.