The whole process took about 2 weeks.
1. Face to face Interview:
The office was newly renovated and staff only moved into the office not too long ago, so everything was very fresh and modern, a very Google/Facebook office vibe. They had 3 entire floors to themselves and all the brands within Expedia are now united as one. I was greeted by the recruiter and taken to a meeting room. The recruiter was very professional and knew what he was looking for. This process took about 1 hour, after the interview the recruiter told me directly that I've been successful and will progress to the next round (Phone interview with a Senior Lodging Associate in Bangkok Expedia). The recruiter was very helpful in terms of giving a quick feedback on areas where I could improve for the next round. I was told I needed to elaborate on areas where I've displayed multi-tasking. After the interview I was also sent a 90 minutes written and reading test to my email to complete. This test was quite interesting as it not only tested your grammar ability, but involved what you would be doing on a day to day basis (Writing content for Hotels and amending change requests, everything had to be in US English etc) Questions that were asked during the interview:
● Tell me what you know about this role? (very first question)
● Why did you resign your last job?
● Tell me how you handled a complicated situation?
● What motivates you?
● What do you know about Expedia?
● Can you see yourself in this role?
2. Phone Interview:
There was an email sent to me on the instructions on how to perform this interview: I had to dial the number provided and then enter in a pin number to connect to the interviewer on the other line. I joined the call 5 minutes early and waited for the interview. The interviewer was very nice over the phone. At first it was a little awkward, but the conversation grew. The phone interview took about 50 minutes. I made a mistake when answering one the questions and mentioned one of the competitors thinking that it was one of the brands that belonged under Expedia. The interviewer picked it up quickly and told me that it actually doesn't belong to Expedia. I thought at this point it was game over. A week after I got a call from the recruiter and he mentioned about the mistake I made during the phone interview and told me it was quite crucial, but allowed me another chance to progress to the final interview with the department manager. The questions that were asked were very similar to the first interview. Although this time they were more thorough:
● Tell me in detail about this role?
● Why do you want to work here at Expedia?
3. Final Interview
Interview took about 1 hour. This time it was less nerve racking as the department manager was very friendly and down to earth. The manager was wearing jeans and a t-shirt and the interview was more like a conversation rather than an interview. Again, the same questions were asked, by now I have recited the responsibilities and capabilities off by heart. I really enjoyed this final interview as the manager was someone who you really want to work with. I was told if successful, there would be a background check that would usually go for 2 weeks. The whole process felt very long. A week later I finally got call back from the recruiter and delivered the news. Due the large number of applicants, unfortunately I didn't get the position. I was given a brief feedback as to why I didn't get the role.
1. A mistake was picked up by the Senior LCA during the phone interview. (How I mentioned the wrong brand). As there are so many applicants, a mistake like this could cost me the job.
2. The interviewers felt as if I wanted to just get my foot in the door rather than wanting the actual position instead. I guess I did ask questions that would have suggested that idea. "Are there any career progression opportunities later down the track?". And when I was asked about why I wanted this position/role, instead of talking about the role itself, I mentioned how I was passionate about the technology and travel.
Overall I've learnt a lot throughout this long process and really inspired me to keep going. If an opportunity was given to work here, I would definitely take it as it is truly an amazing company to work for. I really wanted this position and believed that my current skill set and experience would have allowed me to succeed at this job. I really liked the job's responsibilities and duties, but I guess I should of mentioned that that I was passionate about the role rather than the companies core values and culture were. What I would suggest other potential candidates would be to learn about the role in detail. Know off my heart all the key duties and responsibilities are and a good reason ask to why you want this role, rather than wanting to work for the company itself. I hope this review will help you get this job and best of luck!