I applied online. The process took 3 weeks. I interviewed at Municipal GIS Partners (Chicago, IL)
Interview
Very strange and frustrating experience from start to finish. Typical phone interview was first with very general background questions. Then was scheduled for a 1 on 1 interview with the owner at a busy Panera. I made the over 1 hour commute (during peak hour) and was unable to find the owner. After 15 minutes of waiting past the agreed upon time I called the office only to be told that he was there and I should look again. Eventually it was discovered that he had gone to the wrong location, and I would need to wait another week and make the commute again for an interview because he was busy. I suppose my time was not at all valuable.
On the second attempt, we both were at least at the correct Panera. I'm still uncertain why that location was chosen. It is very small, very loud, and no offer for so much as a water was made. Absolutely no apology was offered for the previous mix-up. The interview questions included almost nothing technical. 99% of questions were personal, but to an invasive extent. Moreover, asking those questions in a busy restaurant with people sitting very near and clearly listening was wildly inappropriate. I left feeling very uncomfortable, and like I had spent an hour listening to someone talk down to me and describe how amazing they are. I was later emailed to say I would not be moving forward. Approximately 6 months later was contacted and asked if I would come in for another interview. No thank you. Clearly something is amiss, and I regret wasting my time to begin with.
I applied online. The process took 3 months. I interviewed at Municipal GIS Partners
Interview
Group interview was both business focused and comfortable. Clearly, everyone loved their job and wanted me to be a part of the company if it was a good fit. A short technical assessment of my skills followed.
Interview questions [1]
Question 1
Name a difficult situation you have found yourself in with a colleague. How did you resolve this conflict?
I applied online. The process took 2 months. I interviewed at Municipal GIS Partners (Des Plaines, IL) in Jan 2018
Interview
Overall process took 2 months. Started with a hour long phone interview with HR dealing with basic questions -- "what's your greatest strength", etc.
Next was an in-person interview with the CEO at a Panera Bread over lunch. Right off the bat, he stated he wanted to know nothing about my GIS skills and wanted to know about me personally. We spent a great deal discussing my high school experience. Asked a lot of personal questions about my family and upbringing. He said he's looking for the right people, which I think why he was so focused on my personality traits rather than my technical skills.