TL;DR? Process took 34 days from application to job offer. It involved 3 interviews and an online aptitude assessment. HR at DB Services is great.
Ben, the HR manager, is one of the most professional and personable HR reps I've encountered. He made all the interviews a positive experience, and gave clear expectations and directions for every part of the process. His responses within business hours were always quick and helpful. As is my experience with all HR, you won't receive responses outside of normal business hours.
I applied and was contacted 9 days later to schedule a phone screen. The phone screen was 14 days after application. Ben asked the expected questions to confirm skills, expectations, and cultural fit. He was able to dynamically respond to my answers and adjust follow-up questions appropriately (a surprising number of HR reps seem incapable of this). He gave me clear "next steps" for the rest of the interview process, and also helped me understand what he believed the hiring manager might see as my strengths and liabilities. I did have a couple questions he couldn't answer, but he promptly emailed me later to address them.
19 days after application, I was given links and instructions for taking a 30-minute aptitude assessment. Personally, I found the assessment very frustrating and nerve-racking due to the fact that you are purposely given more problems to solve than most people can complete in the allotted time. But apparently, I did well enough on it because later that same day they invited me to the next interview.
The next interview was scheduled for 28 days after application. They gave me the option of an in-person or video interview. I chose in-person. The interview was scheduled during lunch hours, and they were thoughtful enough to order lunch for me. Three people were present for the interview (the hiring manager, a technical staff member, and the HR manager). The interview was scheduled for 1 hour, but lasted 2 hours (this was fine with me and a good sign that things were going well, but it could cause schedule issues for some people). The hiring manager mostly asked questions to determine soft skills and cultural fit. Apparently, the technical staff member was supposed to ask me technical questions, but due to a miscommunication/misunderstanding somewhere he was not prepared to do so. Ben, the HR manager, stepped in and helped guide that technical discussion the best he could as a non-technical employee.
I was invited for a final interview with the CEO. (Scheduled 33 days after initial application). They thoughtfully ordered me lunch again. I felt like all of the technical questions were appropriate for the role’s responsibilities. As in the previous interview, we went well over the scheduled time.
The next day (34 days after initial application), I received a written job offer. The salary they offered was within the range we discussed previously. I was excited for the chance to work with the DB Services team and initially accepted the offer. There were no surprises in the pre-employment paperwork, and HR continued their excellent communication and assistance (I worked at a company in the past where the recruiter/HR suddenly became much less attentive after I accepted the job, so I was pleased to see that this was not the case here). They also sent a nice “welcome” gift basket to my house.
Even though DB Services offers solid salary and benefits, I received a surprise opportunity with a global software firm that provides compensation, stock options, benefits, and advancement that a small company like DB Services simply can’t compete with, and I ultimately decided to accept that other position. When I called Ben to inform him that I needed to rescind my acceptance of their offer, he remained professional and gracious. With the expense, lost time, and trouble my decision caused for them, I was impressed with his outward attitude.
Final Thoughts: In the interviews I tried to be very honest about which skills I did and did not have, and I feel like they appreciated honesty over someone who pretends to know it all. Overall, I feel like they focus more on finding the right kind of person to hire that can learn new skills and work responsibly, rather than focusing too much on finding someone who already has all the necessary skills.
The beginning of the process had longer delays between steps than the ending stages, but all stages moved at an acceptable pace. If the beginning had gone quicker and an earlier start date had been offered, I would almost certainly be working at DB Services today.