One of the last jobs I applied to was for a Sales Development Program for E & J Gallo. The overall experience was really great, and I actually enjoyed the process. It was quite long, and extensive but the conversations were very natural and easy going.
The first initial conversation was a coffee chat with two OSU grads, one of which was in the same sorority as me. Having this connection with her, allowed me to feel very comfortable and the interview felt more like a conversation which was great. During this chat, I was able to ask them both questions regarding their experience in the program. After the chat, I felt super confident in the company culture, and the program as well.
For my second interview, I met with their hiring manager, and one of the same OSU grads from before. This interview was more behavioral based questions, but still felt very natural and comfortable. During this interview it was disclosed that the only opening they had for the position now were in Southern California. I had been open with them and let them know that I was only looking to stay in Oregon and they said there was no guarantees that an opening would be available. After this interview, I felt a little hesitant on continuing in the process because I knew I wanted to stay in Oregon. I fortunately was invited back to the third round of interviews with their District Manager, and Sales Manager. After this interview there was a virtual conference in which you gave a 10 minute presentation, and met with other employees and grads for interviews as well.
After thinking it over and talking with someone I knew personally who went through the program, I decided to withdraw from the process before the conference. I knew that I wanted to stay in Oregon, and if that wasn’t a possibility I wasn’t interested in moving to Southern California. Although the overall interview process was great, it would have been nice for them to be more upfront about the location prior to starting the process or in my initial conversation with them.
