I applied through a recruiter. The process took 1 week. I interviewed at Marsh (Chicago, IL) in Aug 2015
Interview
I was contacted by a recruiter to set up a phone interview. Surprisingly, the interview was scheduled for 8 am. This worked for me, but it seemed unusually early.
I spoke with two women, both of whom were Senior Project Managers who had been with the company for 17 years. One took the lead and asked me a variety of textbook questions, mainly about my background. She seemed pleasant enough, if a little stale. The other was borderline abrasive, seeming uninterested in the call right from the start and asking/saying some pointed questions/observations, such as:
- "Why would you leave San Francisco, where you had a job, to move to Chicago, where you don't have a job?" Her intonation suggested that she either thought this was a stupid decision or didn't believe me when I said that I had left my former company voluntarily.
(I had also addressed the move in my opening summary about myself, clearly explaining that I had left SF due to high cost of living and my fiancee wanting to be closer to her family in the Mdwest)
- "This position would deal with projects that are far more complex than those you managed in your last role." Her tone suggested that I somehow wasn't up to the challenge.
(This was after I had explained that I was looking to get into a project management role with more complex projects, as I found my previous position unchallenging. Additionally, the job description only required one year of project management experience, so they clearly aren't looking for a senior candidate)
- I asked about the team structure, adding that I assumed that I would be reporting to a project manager. She replied that I was "incorrect", and then preceded to repeat the summary of the job's responsibilities. She never actually discussed the team structure.
The call lasted about 25 minutes and left me wishing I hadn't bothered with the interview. Based on the disdain I sensed from the second woman, I can't imagine I'll be invited to an in-person interview, but if by some chance I do, I'll probably turn it down; I wouldn't want to work at a company that saw leadership potential in this woman, let alone deal with her on a day-to-day basis. Neither woman seemed particularly passionate either (especially the second), which isn't a good sign for the company's culture.
Interview questions [1]
Question 1
Describe the most challenging project you worked on.
What;s the first thing you would do when starting a new project?
What would you do when multiple project coordinators were vying for the same resource?
Thank you for providing this feedback. I am sorry to hear about your experience. It is our hope that all candidates are treated with respect throughout the interview process. We do take this feedback seriously - if you would like to discuss further, please email me directly at denise.nichols@mmc.com.
Other Project Coordinator interview reviews for Marsh
I applied online. The process took 3 weeks. I interviewed at Marsh
Interview
Pretty quick process overall. Questions standard to other interviews I have had gor similar roles. The hiring managers, teams and culture seem smart and straightforward. There is an initial phone interview and then a few rounds of interviews.