In October of this last year, as a fifth-year senior at Oregon State University, I finally took it upon myself to attend one of the school’s campus-wide career fairs. From the hour and a half I spent at this event, I was invited to begin the interview process with five different companies, was eventually offered a job by two of these companies, and recently accepted one of these offers as a full-time position after graduation at the end of this term.
Recounting the job application and interview process with my future employer, it was unlike any experience I had ever had before. After meeting a few of the company’s recruiters at the career fair and giving them my resume to review, I was invited for a rather informal interview with these same recruiters the following day. It was a very casual interview, and it seemed as though I clicked with the two women who were interviewing me very well.
The following week, I was informed that I would have another interview with the company’s area managers in both Oregon and Washington. This interview was slightly more formal, but again I seemed to click very well with both of the men in the interview. They asked me a mix of very casual questions involving my interests and lifestyle, as well as questions about my experience and why I was interested in this particular job.
After this interview, I was advanced to the next stage of the process where I performed a day-long job shadow. Finally, I got word that I had been invited to the final round of interviews, which took place at a three-day conference in Northern California. At this conference, I had the opportunity to meet and get to know many of the managers and leaders of the company from around the country, in a rather casual setting.
Going into this conference, I was unsure that I could see myself working for this particular company. However, getting to meet and converse with so many important members of the organization completely changed my view of the company. It not only showed me that it was full of people who were very similar to myself, but also how much time, money, and effort the company was willing to put into recruiting me to work for there business. It was this mix of the great culture that I witnessed, the passion these employees had for their jobs, and the effort that this company was willing to put into me as a basic entry-level employee that gave me the impression and conclusion that this is an organization I could see myself being a part of.
