Progressive starts you out with a simplistic assessment, which anyone can pass, if you meet their minimum qualifications, which sends you to a phone interview. The phone interview starts with some traditional questions you have heard before, and then the STAR questions begin. Oddly, the interviewer over the phone asked half of her questions centering around my relationships with co-workers. (not supervisors... co-workers). I gave examples in the STAR format, which you absolutely have to have nailed down. Finally, a few more job specific questions followed. I was given a chance to ask questions, apparently, after the phone interview, but I only got to ask one before the interviewer told me that she was moving me on to the next step. Ok, well, that's good.
The in-person interview, I thought went very well. Asked more STAR questions, with a little more focus on negotiation and difficult customers. Thought I did well, and the interviewer seemed upbeat and happy. I was feeling optimistic.
But it was not meant to be, in there eyes. I received notification that I was not being hired, and told that my examples were not complex enough in comparison to others. Perhaps they weren't, but I have to wonder if they really give a proper chance for a candidate to "defend" this. After all, when you want ONE SPECIFIC example, there are certainly some people who might have dealt with an extreme example they can give in the STAR format. But who would you rather have, the person who's dealt with once or twice; or someone who deals with these issues on a daily basis? The STAR format does not provide an opportunity for the person who deals with the issues frequently a chance to express that.
So be it. I hope they enjoyed their likely embellished stories of people who dealt with an issue one or two times. Guess it's not a mystery why Progressive is midpack in many customer service rankings.