I recently applied and interviewed at Benefitfocus in Charleston, SC. About three days after I applied I received and e-mail from the head of corporate recruiting informing me of their desire to setup an interview for the position. However, I was informed that because so many people apply for these positions, they only did in-person interviews. I live in Myrtle Beach, which is about two hours away and meant that I had to make a special trip to Charleston for a 30 minute interview.
After arriving and heading back for the interview, we went behind the key controlled doors to a room that was as small as any I have ever been in. It was being enough for a small triangle shaped table and two chairs and the front of it was all glass. So everyone could see you getting interviewed. I normally don’t mind an audience but this was just weird, yet it was only beginning.
So she began the interview as any other asking me to describe my last job. Which naturally was no problem, I went right through all the key points that were on my resume which accented my last position. However, after explaining my last position based off my resume, she wondered how I assumed my last position was an account manager. I spent the next ten minutes trying to explain how I was an account manager who mainly did collections. She had my resume for over a week and I don’t think she ever looked at it except the fact that it said college degree and Account manager because she sure as hell didn’t know anything else.
Following the discussion about my previous positions, she went over the position with the company in question. Now when I hear Account Consultant I think of a position that really has impact on the clients, and after reading their description of the job I was assured this was a position was exactly that. After discussing it, I was extremely wrong. She said that I would be basically taken calls from the clients I was responsible for, and helping them walk through web-based HR software. The truth has arrived, I’m not going to be an Account consultant; instead I will be tech support for the people who can’t figure out how to input or delete information in web-based software. I sorry, but every web-based application I have used is so self explanatory that if you can’t figure you shouldn’t be using the web. Even so, she assured me that I would be busy all the time. Unfortunately, I could see the cubicles and out of the people I saw most were up talking to each other, not working.
At this point, I thought about hanging myself with the phone that was in the office, but didn’t want to draw to much attention. During final part of the interview she proceeded to ask the most useless questions. I was asked about to describe a situation where I built a relationship with a customer. Other questions included:
• What was the best compliment I’ve ever received from a customer?
• Could I handle people calling me?
• What I disliked in my last job?
• Do I see myself working for a software Company?
• Is this what I want to do, and do I have a passion for it?
When it came done to it, somehow being able to make friends and build relationships was more important than actual ability. I was told that not only the people I work with but the clients I dealt with would be my best friends before it was all said and done. In addition, I was warned that I would need to make friends in upper level tech support and to make sure I prioritized my request very carefully so I would get my requests done. I’m sorry, I just figured it was their job was to answer client needs, regardless if I was there friend or not, I must have been mistaken.
Finally, she proceeded to ask if I had any questions and I figured I might as well just ask the usual questions that I would normally ask in an interview. The questions went like this:
• So what is the growth potential?
o Well after being at account consultant for 2 years, you can move to account manager. Somehow she couldn’t tell me that there was any more after that.
• What are the benefits?
o Well we have two plans, and well that’s I can really remember. We also have days where they will buy free lunch and during sometimes during summer they have an ice cream truck stop by. Really, wow if I was five years old that would be great. Are you kidding me? Nothing about bonuses, commission, or any other monetary incentive.
Needless to say that all I needed to hear before I decided that it was not for me. However, she did add that they start all the account consultants at $30,000 to $32,000. Let me put it like this, I know Charleston, SC and if you wanted to live under bridge in a cardboard box you may have to get a second job just to afford it. Good luck if you interview with this company. I didn’t receive an offer but also even if I had I wouldn’t have accepted it.