I applied for the job via LinkedIn on Thursday May 5th.
Received a call on Friday May 6th, arranging an interview for Monday May 9th.
I was interviewed by the Operations Manager, Human Resources Manager and IT Manager on Monday May 9th. They insinuated that they were looking to have someone start the following Monday, and asked whether I would be available for the start time.
Received an email Tuesday May 10th, asking whether I would be willing to come in and be walked through their eDM system, which I had not used before. I agreed to visit them the same day, and was walked through the system by one of their creative team members, and met with the operations manager again as well. I explained to them that I had an IT background, and would have no issues using their WYSIWYG newsletter platform. I was told that they would get back to me in a few days time.
I didn't hear back from them again until Monday May 16th, in an email saying that they were interviewing other people, and hoped to make a decision by the end of the week.
I received a call from the Operations Manager near the end of the day on Friday May 20th. He basically said that they had doubts about my lack of experience with their eDM platform, and I once again explained how I could easily be across the system within a week, as someone who had IT Networking and Marketing qualifications, experience with the market leader eDM platform and experience building websites. The operations manager asked whether I would be willing to come in for a trial period, and I said that I was hesitant, as I would have had to turn down existing work from a client in order to do the trial, which was a risk on my end. The operations manager said that he would call me the following Monday.
I sent the Operations Manager an email on Sunday May 22nd, saying that I understood them wanting a candidate with experience of their exact eDM platform, and that I could be across it within a week. I was upfront and said that I found the trial option to be a bit off-putting, and if they still weren't convinced, perhaps we weren't the right fit.
I received a response on Monday May 23rd, the Operations Manager mentioned that they had just hired a new Marketing / Digital Manager in Sydney, who started the following week, and that perhaps we could arrange a conference call, which I agreed to.
Received an email from the Operations Manager on Thursday May 26, asking whether I would be available to come in for an interview the following Wednesday, which I agreed to. I was told that they would be making a decision the same day.
I attended the interview on Wednesday June 1st, and met with the Operations Manager and the new Marketing / Digital Manager from Sydney. The interview was friendly, and appeared to go reasonably well.
The Operations Manager did not get back to me until the following Monday, the 6th of June. He told me that I had not been successful in getting the job, and asked whether I would be interested in hearing about future opportunities. I declined, saying that I expected to be employed by then.
I found the whole interview process to be very frustrating. They greatly underestimated my abilities and constantly didn't keep their word (regarding when they would get back to me or when they would make a decision). If you are reading this, I would be cautious about applying for a job with them, and would definitely recommend keeping your doors open until you are offered a job position in writing.