Pros
HR is exceptional. Aneesa, in particular, was highly responsive and facilitated the entire hiring process seamlessly. She answered all my questions and was a pleasure to work with. The company made an excellent choice in hiring her, and it would be beneficial for the organization to actually utilize her expertise, as she has no decision making power. She is the sole HR representative supporting a workforce of 70 employees - a clear red flag.
The benefits package and vacation days are competitive and well-structured.
Cons
1. Inconsistent Decision-Making and Miscommunication: Throughout the process, I clearly communicated my volunteer commitment to my non-profit organization, including on my resume and in all three interviews. In fact, the hiring manager even expressed interest in leveraging my non-profit network during the first panel interview. Despite this, I later received an offer contract stipulating that I must have no other external commitments. After seeking clarification, the offer was rescinded without further discussion. This decision was unexpected and occurred after multiple conversations where my external engagement was acknowledged.
Not only was this unprofessional and a huge waste of my time, but also left me with many unanswered questions:
A: Why wasn’t this issue addressed earlier in the process? Moreover, there was no opportunity for further discussion. I might have been willing to step back from my non-profit if necessary, especially if it wasn’t going well. Instead, the offer was rescinded without any chance to discuss alternatives, and I was informed the decision was final.
B: All communication regarding this decision was handled through HR, despite my having a scheduled call with the hiring manager shortly after. It was disappointing and felt disrespectful that the decision-maker did not discuss this matter with me directly.
C: If I had signed the contract based on our previous discussions, what would have happened? If I had resigned from my current position and this issue had surfaced later, would I have been let go without consideration or forced to discontinue my non-profit?
2. Salary Discrepancy: During the initial screening call, I was informed of the estimated salary for the role. After expressing that this was lower than my current compensation, I remained open to further discussions. However, at the end of the process, I was informed that the actual salary was $10K less than initially discussed, citing an error in the initial estimate.
3. Time-Intensive Assessment Process: The assessment process requires candidates to complete two assignments, both taking approximately 20 hours to finish to a high standard. This step is required before candidates have any substantial interaction with the hiring team or manager, following only an initial HR screening. Candidates should have the opportunity to assess if they want to join the team before investing such a significant amount of time - this is a mutual fit assessment and our time is just as valuable as the company's.