Seven interviews - including two out of state flights, a powerpoint presentation to two company VP's, a dinner with the wives, a psychological survey, a sales aptitude test and three trips to Sanford Florida resulting in no job.
I believe this to be a world record. I don't think anyone has even come close. To add insult to injury, the salary was only $50K per year. Most people could hardly believe it, everyone thought that for that level of aggravation, it was a $100K + opportunity.
My effort was supreme. I researched the company, its history, the competition and everything related to what they did. I printed out web pages and studies to analyze their place in the market. I formulated relevant questions and based them on industry trends and market realities. I was fully armed at every interview and impressed every higher-up I met with.Instead of waiting for a call from the recruiter, I went directly to the VP in the area and got the interview. He was impressed with my resume' and business acumen and set up interview number two. The second interview was a 'homework assignment' in which I was to analyze a fictional company they gave me and create a powerpoint presentation with suggestions and advice. I created charts , graphs and insightful recommendations for the Acme Cleaning company and bought a fancy binder to present it in. On Monday morning I suited up and presented to the two regional VP's. Afterward, they said it was the best presentation they had ever seen! They asked me if they could keep it for future reference, and naturally I complied.
The next step in the process was to fly to Detroit and meet with the National VP of Sales. I arrived early and she was 20 minutes late. The National Sales Vp was hurried and stressed. We ate a fast food pizza lunch and she asked questions for half an hour. She was unemotional and distant and thanked me for "researching their industry". This should have been the first warning sign. They flew me over 1500 miles,picked me up in a limo, then dispensed with me after a hurried, fast food lunch... The three people I met with in their Detroit office had more insight and clarity about the job than she did.
Upon my arrival in Florida, I was told that one of the VP's would like to take my wife and I out for dinner. Dinner went well and I am now assuming I have the job - who wouldn't at this point? Not so fast, the offer has still not been made... My next task was to speak with the corporate recruiter and take a sales aptitude test and a psychological profile over the internet - approx. time - 3 hours. I asked the recruiter how I did the next day and he said "..you did great, scored high, no problem". He then informed me that I would be receiving a 'benefits package' and an offer will be made in the next three days. A week later, I was told that I must do another interview with one of the VP's I met earlier. This latest interrogation was to "show me a day in the life at Linc Services..." It lasted 3 hours and the VP said he was confident I would do well in their organization.
I was now ready to start and asking when my first day would be. I received the benefits package which included the 401/K, the insurance package and all other benefits. After not hearing from them for three days, I called to inquire about the position. They informed me that there was one final requirement that was just implemented. Their policy changed overnight and all new , prospective employees were now required to meet with the CEO before they were hired. I was booked on a flight to Atlanta the next day. Once again, I was escorted in a black limo to Linc Services in Atlanta. The recruiter was welcoming and let me know that he would be sitting in on the interview. We met in the conference room of their office, the meeting was confrontational and strained. The CEO's modus operandi was to deconstruct my past and re-arrange it to reflect his pre-conceived notions of who I am and why I'm not qualified to work at Linc Services. I had to stop him a couple of times to correct facts that he assumed to be true after being told what the prior circumstance was. He seemed to take offense at the fact that I worked my way through college. He pressed me for obscure detail of compensation plans from a job 4 years prior, then blamed me for not explaining the exact answer he was looking for. In short, (and he was a short man), he was a complete idiot. A vertically challenged tyrant with short mans syndrome. I recovered from his verbal assaults the best I could and tried to end on a positive note. I asked him "When do I start?" and he just stared at me and said "not today". The guy was a complete jerk.
The next day, I got a call from the recruiter saying "We're gonna pass". I asked him "What do you mean?" He then told me of the decision of the moronic jerk in Atlanta. I told him of my time and energy invested and it was the typical fake empathy and corporate bullshit.
For a company to fly someone over 2500 miles, take them and their wife to dinner, submit them to testing and homework assignments, wave benefits in their face and then reject them is unforgivable. To show me "A day in the life at Linc" as though I was already hired is psychological torture. After a week of regaining my senses, I looked at their website and my anger reached new heights. They took the format of my Powerpoint presentation and incorporated it into their website! Prior to my arrival, there was no mention of them being a "green" company; in my presentation, I mentioned the benefits of this and sure enough - it's now mentioned on their website and their color scheme is now 'green'! If I had the time and money I would see these jackals in court. The best possible outcome for these hyena's would be for them to hire someone who hangs around for a year or two, produces absolutely nothign, milks every cent of salary out of them then quits or gets fired. It would be best if he is fired and collects unemployment for the maximum amount of time - two years. That way, they will have spent a large amount of money trying to hire me, train and pay someone else that doesn't work out then pay for their unemployment. I need to call them and find out how the new employee is doing....
Bad job interviews, unsucessful interviews, lying CEO's, corrupt corporate heads, bad business, ripoff report, linc services group, sanford, florida, building maintenance jobs
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