I am a recent college graduate and decided to apply to the claims adjuster position for Progressive Insurance. I found the posting on careerbuilder.com. The initial process is pretty standard now and days: you apply online through the company website, upload a resume and cover letter, then wait to be contacted.
I was called by a HR rep a few days later, the first of two phone interviews. The initial interview with the rep was pretty informal, she asked some basic questions about myself and my reasons for interest in the position. If you have a decent grasp on the position and a little info about the company you should be fine. If the rep likes your responses, she or he will push you forward in the process. She informed me that I would be contacted by another HR rep to schedule assessment testing.
The test are taken onsite at a local branch. Plenty of info in other post about the exams. I did some practice problems to get into the swing of the thing, many people need to dust off that portion of the brain. Please, practice a little so you won't be blindsided. Assessment tests were pretty easy, personality test is like all others. You will be told immediately if you pass. I then scheduled a phone interview, over the phone at the office, for a later date.
The second phone interview is much more thorough than the first. Its a behavioral interview so Google it and get prepared. Spend time thinking of circumstances that demonstrate the abilities you see hyped up on their website, qualities that you probably have if you managed to get through college. It was about an hour interview. My recruiter was very nice, gave feedback, was engaged... I felt very comfortable. I was notified that I would be pushed further in the process. She scheduled a manger interview on site for a later date.
Between the aforementioned interview and the onsite one, you will probably be contacted by a background investigator via email. Make sure you respond promptly and notify your references and previous positions that folks are calling about you, so they wont be all surprised... especially if you worked for small companies that handle things informally.
The manager interview was similar to the second phone interview, behavioral questions... a lot of them. The interview took an hour. The manager was very nice and professional. Learn to read folks body language when you speak. If you see your interviewer yawn, become shiftless, or look past you while you are speaking, then you are probably speaking too long. This was probably the most difficult interview I have had, only because some of the questions really required some thought. If your interviewer becomes excited or interested in a topic, continue the conversation a little. Remember to try and DEMONSTRATE the qualities mentioned in the questions through examples, not listing or saying you are what you want them to think is you (wordy... sorry). I was contacted a few days later with an offer.
I entire process was organized and professional. Communication was fluid, obligations were met promptly, and everyone was punctual. Just prepare properly, the process has a way of weeding the uncommitted out. Email and phone communication is very important, check messages and the job site for updates, forms, other stuff.
