I found the position on LinkedIn, applied on the Compass website, and heard back from a recruiter within a day.
>>> ROUND 1: Phone Screening
The call with the recruiter was a positive experience. They asked me to explain what I knew about Compass, why I wanted the position, and to describe my work experience.
In turn, the recruiter told me more about the company, role, hiring process (i.e., recruiter call, 1-hour video interview, 24-48 hour prompt assignment, and 30-minute final interview).
From there, the recruiter moved me to the next round. I received an email with the video meeting link and resources to help me prepare.
>>> ROUND 2: Individual Video Interviews
This round included two back-to-back 30-minute interviews with people from the local marketing team. In my opinion, it's repetitive and should be a single 45-minute interview with both people on at the same time.
I felt strong about my first 30-minute interview, and the person was amiable. However, I crumbled in the second 30-minute interview for several reasons:
(1) I was repeating myself and retelling the same information/stories back-to-back. For example, I had to answer the "tell me about yourself" question again at the start of the second 30-minute interview.
(2) The questions asked by the second person were worded in a way that was harder to expand on. They felt more like yes/no questions than "describe a time when..." questions.
(3) I spent a lot of time studying for questions that the second 30-minute interviewer didn't ask, which happens, unfortunately.
(4) The second person seemed like they didn't want to be there. I'm not sure if it was stress from other things they had going on or just their personality, but it threw me off instantly.
>>> NO OFFER CALL
I received a call from my recruiter the day after the round two interviews. They explained that I was not selected to move on. I wasn't surprised knowing that I didn't have a strong performance for part of the interview.
Overall, the time between round 1 and my no offer call took four days.
>>> ADVICE FOR APPLICANTS
For anyone serious about Compass, I would recommend doing a lot of research even before your call with the recruiter. The company seems like they expect applicants to know a lot about them, even though they haven't been around very long. They do have a lot of content about themselves on their website and YouTube page, though, so that helps for learning more about them.
For those interested in the Marketing Advisor position:
(1) The role is heavily client management, project management, and marketing strategy. They essentially function as an in-house agency for the Compass real estate agents, who they call "clients." I got the feeling that agents run the show. For that reason, I noticed that they're looking for people that don't take things personally, work fast, and can deal with difficult agents/personalities.
(2) While I've included questions I was asked during my interviews, I honestly don't remember many of the ones I struggled with. Also, most questions I prepared for and found on Glassdoor from other people that interviewed for this position at Compass were not asked. My best advice would be to go through the job description from Compass and have an example for each bullet listed, rather than preparing for a bunch of questions you may not be asked.
(3) I recommend preparing and practicing for those, like me, that are stronger at written communication than verbal. Everyone I spoke to at Compass was very well-spoken and quick-thinkers. This, unfortunately, can be a challenge for us introverts that prefer time to think before formulating an answer.
(4) Finally, do a lot of research on salaries. There are some great salary insights on Glassdoor. With the amount of stress that likely comes with job, make sure you're not low-balled.
>>> FEEDBACK FOR COMPASS
While I don't believe that the Compass culture was a good fit for me, it was one of my best experiences with a company recruiter. I appreciated their timeliness, organization, professionalism, support, and feedback.
My feedback would be:
(1) The process is a lot and goes quickly, but that's probably the point. It seems like a high-stress and very fast-moving company, so it's probably a test. But remember that you're likely not the only company people are interviewing with. I interviewed with four other companies last week while I was also interviewing with Compass.
(2) While I was not personally offended by the attitude of the second person from marketing that interviewed me, I did find it unprofessional. Both parties are deciding if the other is a good fit during the interview process. I can say that person did not make a good first impression on me.
(3) "Diversity" is mentioned on the Compass website and YouTube videos. As a person of color, the marketing people I interviewed with did not reflect examples of diversity.
