my initial communications were with the person who referred me to the open position. the position started off being just a junior level administrative assistant. i was able to parlay that into a higher level administrative position - project administrator. this position was a blank palate; i was going to have the opportunity to create it from scratch**.
i did a good deal of research about project administration, and what that position would entail on a general level. then i did a lot of research about the company, their recent successes/acquisitions, their field, and how a project administrator would fit into their mix.
the office was immaculate and very organized. crisp in color scheme, very modern look. people were friendly, and i was pointed in the right direction every step of the way. it's' important to be a little early to interviews here, because the executives schedules change around during the day. being there, in case they are ready to interview immediately, is a bonus. they look favorably on those who are always ready.
the work culture - i knew that the company would be busy, because they are in high demand and a big competitor in the IT industry. they are a HEAVY hitter. in my research, i found that CGI had just acquired logica - a european IT firm, with over 35k employees - which doubled their employee base. the executives who hired me were very impressed with the fact that i knew that. DO YOUR RESEARCH before you interview here. know their competitors, and if you can, know their most recent activity, or most significant activity. be sure to ask questions when asked "do you have any questions". interview them! engage in conversation and be friendly but focused.
i interviewed on a wednesday morning - i had a series of back to back interviews. i learned that in the past, they would conduct their series of interviews on different days, and with different people; but they recognized that turns people off from finishing the process, and it dwindles their number of prospects down tremendously. however, the series of interviews within the same day, takes a LOT of preparation - especially when you don't know exactly "who" you're interviewing with. so i had to be prepared for just about any question.
i interviewed with a total of 7 people - 3 of which were at the director/VP level, and who i would be working with directly. the other 4 were executive assistants who i would be occasionally working with to complete projects. the first three interviews were conducted separately, by each of the directors/VPs. each interview was 45 minutes long. the final interview was with the 4 executive assistants - and it was more a debriefing than a real interview. they wanted to know if i had specific questions about the position.
the entire process took about 4 hours. it was a long day. but i found out a few hours later that all 3 directors/VPs wrote long reviews about me, and wanted to hire me on the spot, but needed to confer with each other first. i was called the next morning and offered the position.
**there are other PAs in the company (i found out later), who work on one specific project at a time, on one client site.
