I applied online and had a phone interview with a recruiter before being invited to an in-person interview at their Richmond, VA HQ. Since I was traveling from several states away, I assumed they were seriously considering me for the role. However, upon arrival, I discovered they were interviewing around 50 other candidates simultaneously, most of whom appeared to be recent undergraduates. They never mentioned this would be a group-style interview, which I found very unprofessional.
The job itself was also misrepresented. There was no “research” involved—it’s essentially a call center role where you contact CRE owners to gather information about their properties. Despite my MBA in real estate, they rejected me and instead hired candidates with zero real estate experience who seemed unfamiliar with the company.
Their reasoning for rejecting me was also baffling. They claimed I said I wanted to work in D.C. instead of Richmond, which wasn’t true. I had stated I was open to both locations, not that I wasn’t interested in Richmond—why else would I have applied and traveled there?
The office environment didn’t help either. Metrics and call volumes were displayed on TVs throughout the space, giving off cringe-worthy corporate vibes. Overall, it was a disappointing and poorly handled experience.