Phase II: The Gauntlet

Coming off of a series of interviews lasting six hours total, I feel I've been through the ringer.  Every aspect of my past, present and future has been scrutinized from every angle, and all that's left is to wait for their decision.

The interviews were with the commercial printing company, Woodridge Press in Anaheim.  The position is in the Leadership Development Program as administered by their parent company, Consolidated Graphics.  This is a three year intensive program, meant to give its graduates experience in every aspect of the printing industry.  They seek new graduates to offer this opportunity.

The first step was a PowerPoint presentation about the LDP, CGX and WPI (Leadership Development Program, Consolidated Graphics and Woodridge Press Inc. for those of you who aren't familiar with the initialisms).  This was really the background or the structure behind a conversation with my interview coordinator about how each of these entities fits together, and why I can expect in the LDP.  This also included a very brief

This was followed by a tour around the building, particularly the sales floor and production floor.  My coordinator explained the purpose of each of the machines and introduced me to their operators.  Controlled chaos would be the name I would give it.

From there started my interviews.  These ran sequentially, and were approximately fifteen minutes each.

First I spoke with the production manager, who had been with the company for what seemed forever.  He knew the history of the business, and was familiar with every piece of equipment they had every owned.  A very low key person, he seemed more interested in getting to know me than in intimidating me.

Next up can the financial controller, who had also been with the company for a significant amount of time.  She had some excellent insights into the management structure of CGX and WPI.  She seemed most interested in the concurrent positions I have held, and how I managed to keep it all straight.

After the financial controller was an account executive who had graduated from the program.  She was a very honest (some might say blunt) person who was upfront about all of her experiences in the program and did not sugar coat any of them.  I appreciated her straight forwardness, but it was a fast shift from the two previous more laid back interviews.

Finally I spoke with another graduate of the program.  He was unique in that he had joined the program with the intention of going into sales, rather than operations or finance.  We quickly found that we had a lot in common, including our reasons for being attracted to the LDP and the printing industry.

The most challenging aspect of this rapid interview and shift wasn't filling fifteen minutes, but quickly evaluating each person to whom I was speaking and trying to determine how to communicate my experience to them in a way that conveyed my interest and enthusiasm.

Lunch was enjoyable.  We went to the Cheesecake Factory.  Having had the foresight to check the menu out before hand I ordered a Salmon dish and a small salad that I knew would be clean and non-intimidating. 

Lunch was with the interview coordinator and the last interviewer.  They shared with me their experiences with the program and we got to know each other on a more personal level.

Afterward, we went back to the office, and I went in for my interview with the President of the company.  And let me tell you, I was nervous.  I could almost feel my heart beating out of my chest and had to suppress an attack of hyperventilation -- something that has never happened to me before.  At first I was a little confused about the purpose of meeting with him; thinking it was him interviewing me I started by attempting to jump into his stories and comments with my own interview-worthy anecdotes.  These were always followed by an extended, and rather uncomfortable, period of silence.

After about two minutes of this really awkward non-flow of conversation I switched gears and took to asking him questions and processing his answers.  From there it all seemed to go a lot smoother, and I felt infinitely more comfortable.  From him I learned about his experiences with the program, why he feels that it's a good program, and how he continued to learn and grow after graduating from it.  I also learned about the functioning of Woodridge Press, and his management style.

What I came away from that interaction was a sense of trust in his leadership; something that I have never experienced resultant of an interview.  He seemed very even keel and realistic.  The comment he made that I was most taken with was that he felt WPI should not be prepared for the best of times, rather be prepared to survive the worst of times.  Rather than having the capacity to deal with the absolute highest volume he can hope for, he instead aims to keep the company breaking even despite record low volume.

After the interview he thanked me for coming in, and told me they would reach a decision in the next week or so.

And after it all, I feel I've been through the ringer more times than I can count.  Not that I did anything physically draining, but the psychological and emotional toll was great.  I will update later on the final results!

Best regards,
Beth

Phase II: Interview Friday

This Friday I will have an extended series of interviews with Woodridge Press in Anaheim.  This will be the final step in the process of evaluating me for the leadership development program.

These interviews will include meeting the Production Manager, The Financial Controller, the Warehouse Manager, the President and one other individual.  For the process I will have a coordinator who will take me through the day and out to lunch.

Each meeting will be one-on-one and will last approximately fifteen minutes.  Because I wish to appear interested in learning more about the company I will prepare questions to ask each interviewer.  Though there is the possibility that they simply wish to converse with me, in case of conversation lag I will be ready with filler questions.

For the financial controller I will ask:

• I understand that one of the benefits of being a part of CGX means central office can supply its affiliate companies with resources, including financial backing. How closely are Woordridge Press's finances tied to CGX?
• Does the finance department enjoy the same autonomy that the other departments are offered?

For the Manufacturing manager I have prepared these questions:

• What methods does Woodrige use to accomedate fluctuations in demand? (ie layoffs or temporary workers).
• What factors cause or predict fluctuations in demand in the print industry?

To the Warehouse Manager I will ask:

• What sort of inventory tracking system does Woodridge employ?
• Does Woodridge use Just In Time inventory?

And for the president:

• Did you begin the LDP with the goal of becoming a company president, or was it something that you grew into?
• Do you feel that the LDP provided you with the experience and knowledge necessary to lead a company?
• As president, how involved are you in the day to day functionality of your location? How closely do you work with corporate?
• What is the management structure of WP? Of CGX?

To my coordinator:

• What makes a successful associate?
• How are mentors chosen?
• In what ways does CGX continue to support its LDP graduates?

And, just in case that final person is the Sales Manager:

• On what products does the WP sales team focus its efforts?
• What methods does WP use to find new customers?

The coordinator also recommended that I research the LDP further.  I will reread any information available through their website and attempt to locate the program in the news.  I will also read about the overall industry and how it is fairing.

Wish me luck!

Best regards,
Beth

Decisions

It looks like this week was a week for decision for me and a few others.

I was officially turned down for the position at Frito-lay.  This was a bit unexpected; not the rejection but the fact that they bothered to send me a letter about it.  Though I've unsuccessfully pursued positions since beginning this search, this was the first official communication of that rejection.

Though I wasn't terribly interested in the position, I was hoping to follow the process a bit longer to gain further experience in face-to-face interviewing.

According to the letter I was removed from the running on the basis of an online test score.  I assume this to be the situational management test.  A situation was described and five options were given.  For each option you marked "would do" "probably would do" "undecided" "probably would not do" and "would not do".  You then indicated which action was the "worst" and which was the "best".

I recall from my phone interview that I was told they were looking for someone who is very 'numbers oriented'.  They are very concerned about good sales numbers; and as a result I believe they are looking for an autocratic leader.  Someone who will do what it takes to appease the company and the customer regardless of the morale consequences for their team.

This is not me.  I believe in team building, I believe that sometimes it's important to take a short term loss in productivity in order to ensure a long term gain (ie: training an employee to complete a task rather than just doing it yourself because it would be faster).  I also believe that the best way to lead is to keep track of your team's current state and make decisions accordingly.

I answered the assessment honestly and, as it turns out, my answers were not in accordance with what they are searching for in a manager.

I am more than happy to step aside and let someone else take that position.

On my end, a decision has been made, as well.  I have elected to pursue the opportunity in Anaheim rather than waiting for the uncertain opportunity in Irvine.  This means I have a bit of a bus ride ahead of me, but I will survive.

After weighing my options, I realized a few things:

1. This program for which I am applying is the most exciting position I have found.
2. I don't want to miss out on the opportunity to get involved in this program because of temporal or geographic issues.
3. It is important that I develop a reputation as someone who is decisive, determined, and willing to go the extra mile(s) for the program/company.
4. I do not want to change positions halfway through the program.

 I know that pursuing this is the best option for me, and that if I prepare myself I will be read.

Best regards,
Beth

Method 6: Excitement!

After some heavy research I found that Consolidated Graphics has a pretty exciting management training program!  It's a three year extensive management training program that starts you out on the ground floor (printing presses; literally) then moves you to administration, and finally into managerial training.  You network, you learn, you basically have three years to prove to them that you're worth their effort.

Very exciting, and I'm very much looking forward to meeting their recruiters and asking them many questions!

Best regards,
Beth