The process included a phone screen after getting in touch with three recruiters, a phone screening, and a series of onsite interviews, including a panel interview. (Timeline: two months.)
The process was slow and arduous, seemingly at odds with the company's need to quickly add staff and compete with other firms demanding former McBainGroup consultants.
The biggest disappointment for me was the poor design and execution of the candidate experience. The hiring requirements lacked specificity, and the process included too many interviewers at too many levels. Because they lacked consensus on what the role entailed and, consequently, the skills required for the role, they couldn't tell me where I’d rank in the company. I learned, perhaps just by chance, the position had been open for many months.
I did not receive an offer, unsurprisingly. (But I had learned this after starting my new job at Amazon.)
A few comments:
- Wayfair has attempted to redefine 'General Manager' to no longer include P&L responsibility; I'd file this practice under title inflation. I don't think many ex consultants will take the bait.
- Generally, a front-line manager should not be significantly younger than the candidate. There's nothing inherently wrong with this situation, but the interview process rarely yields an offer when this prospect enters the realm of possibility. Most managers will categorize the candidate as overqualified. And on the candidate side, this situation presents doubts about the company's talent management and staff quality. It's nice to see when a manager might meet the hiring requirements for their own subordinates.
- Salary is low but equity is unusually high. Vesting schedule is reasonable. That said, Wayfair lacks profitability (with margin falling), and investors have become increasingly impatient; you'll be assuming a lot of income risk and the trajectory of cash-based compensation is unclear (the details around career progress and promotion, also, are unclear). I'd anticipate seeing some light trimming of staff in the future if operational improvements don't soon enhance margin and profitability. Benefits package is mainly oriented for the younger cohort for whom 'free beer' is a selling point; not much in there for families.
- Employee reviews are a helpful piece of information in examining what's going on at Wayfair. I was disturbed to see so many issues presented by engineers, and disappointed to see HR reply to almost all engineers' reviews but not many from other discontent staff. This communicates a certain message about the leadership’s priorities and decision-making, whether intended or not.