iHerb interview questions

I found this position after attending a Tech in Motion meetup event in OC. I briefly spoke to Michael Mandell at the iHerb hosted table at the venue and he informed me that the company is constantly growing and looking to bring on more developers. I wrote my information down and the very next day, he reached out to me for a quick phone screening and asked if I would like to come in for an interview. The interview process wasn't overly difficult and within an hour of completing the interview, I received a call back from Michael who gladly extended an offer to me. I appreciated the transparency throughout the whole interview process as many companies I have interviewed with before left me hanging for a couple of days before informing me of their decision.

This is a company that has lost touch with the fact that interviews go both ways. Though everyone I spoke with at iHerb was courteous and professional, the interview process was disorganized and their "recruiting effort" was virtually non-existent. For a VP-level role, this was shocking. During the course of initial conversations leading up to and including an in-person interview, they made no effort whatsoever to promote the company or team as an attractive place to work. It's not that everyone I spoke with didn't seem neutral/somewhat positive about working for iHerb, what they're building or doing, or the prospects for the Vice President role in question, its that they didn't bother to enumerate, or share, any pride or positivity about the mission of the company. When I asked what the mission of the company was, as described in their own words, each person I spoke with listed several buzzwords ("agility", "excellence", "growth") or dodged the question entirely. I interpreted the absence of any apparent pride for working there as a negative reflection of the broader culture at iHerb, and chose not to pursue the role further. This experience was in stark contrast to every other VP/CXO interview that I've ever had over the last 20 years where talent managers understand that the interview process is a two-way process and both parties must put effort into impressing one another. In the end, our expectations of each other as a candidate and a company were not aligned (my experience, their needs in the role, and cultural fit) and that was clear to both parties. I believe we all left the discussion in a friendly and respectful manner. That said, if you're looking for a "mission-driven" culture to join, this does not appear to be one.