I applied online and received an e-mail through Jobvite to schedule a phone interview. The recruiter was fantastic: friendly, engaging. I had no doubt my experience would be ideal, but - a word of advice - read on the company, its culture and core values. There are a lot of videos on YouTube to help as well. Anyway, since I'm very non-corporate, geeky, prankster, joker and down-to-earth, I'd figure it would be the kind of culture I'd thrive in.
A few days after the phone interview, I got an e-mail asking to schedule a sandbox test, which is used to determine your attention to detail. Only up to 2 mistakes are allowed in a 30-minute span, but if you are careful and detailed it will be an easy task.
Then, I was invited to interview in person at its HQs. As per the interview invitation and the corporate culture, I didn't dress up for the interview, but I was wearing clean and average business casual clothing. A shuttle picked me up at the hotel by 9:30 a.m. and took me to the HQs. After waiting a bit and being provided water by the very nice guy at the front concierge desk, I was taken to a themed conference room. Soon, the recruiter with whom I had the phone interview and a more senior person came in and we talked about my specific experience as it relates to the position. I think everything went well and I clicked with the interviewers - I think they clicked with me as well. We spoke for approximately 40-45 minutes.
Then, they left and a couple of other people in the department came in. The questions were of the 'cultural fit' mode. We joked and laughed a lot. It was very informal and I got to showcase a bit of my joking personality. This was another 40 minutes or so. By then, it was time for lunch with various potential coworkers.
They took me to a nearby restaurant and I tried to have a conversation with all the people present (about 12-14 people), asking questions and laughing along, trying to be congenial and collegial.
After lunch, I had a further interview with yet another senior representative and it was a very pleasant informal chat that, again, lasted 40-45 minutes.
At the end, a friendly person took me around for a tour. I felt at home at Zappos - no doubt. I felt the zany and creative air would be the perfect place for me and I would be able to succeed and be a constructive member of the team.
Then, the waiting game began. Unfortunately, a week to the day of the interview I got an e-mail that said something along the lines that a majority of the team didn't click with me and therefore they would not pursue my application, that it was a very tough decision after some prolonged deliberations, etc.
I got the impression that the people I spoke with during the 3 separate interviews were not the issue. The problem was at lunch with the rest of the people. But I question whether it's realistic to 'click' or not with someone at lunch over a period of one hour. I've always had lunch with a prospective hire, but I would never judge his/her suitability simply by what happened at lunch. Moreover, it's hard to 'click' with 10-12 different people.
That was a bit disappointing. However, I know who and what I am and I know full well I'd be great in a culture such as Zappo's. There's not one thing I'd change about my interview and I have nothing but kind words for the people I had the pleasure of meeting. Their loss, not mine!
