I actually did not apply for this role and I am not actively looking for a new role, however, a recruiter contacted me and based on our conversation, I decided to move forward with the process, as the position sounded like something I could possibly enjoy even though it was not a role that would have caught my eye under normal circumstances. I also really enjoyed speaking with the recruiter.
Also feel the need to add a disclaimer here: I am not normally the type of person to write a review like this on Glassdoor, and, like nearly everyone else, I have interviewed for a position and did not receive an offer at various times in my past, so I can deal with that. It happens. However, ezCater totally wasted my time and the interview process for this role appears to be a hot mess. I want to warn folks who may actually be interested in working at ezCater about this process so they know what to expect, if my experience is of any indication.
The first step in the interview process after speaking with the recruiter, for me at least, was the Case Study. This is an exercise where they ask you to choose 5 apps that you use -- although not enterprise/common apps like Facebook or Instagram -- and 'be prepared to discuss one of them.' So, to prepare, I chose 5 apps and thought about them from a product point of view: who the target users may be, who the core demographic may be, who the competitors could be, where some shortcomings exist in experience, and parts of the experience that as a user, I enjoy. I also downloaded the ezCater app to get a feel for what I would possibly be working with so that I could also be prepared in that respect. I put time into this despite being a bit unsure about whether or not this role would be a good fit for me.
The Case Study was a bit underwhelming. It's basically a 'product teardown' type of exercise, where you are asked to speak to things like who you think the target audience of the app may be, who you think the competitors are, what you think the differentiators are, and what type of features you would develop if you were the Product Manager for the app, as well as steps you would take to validate assumptions you might make about the value of the features you are proposing, and what types of metrics you would develop. Although my interpretation of the exercise was that it was supposed to be more about thought process and less about right or wrong answers, it seemed as though the person conducting the interview -- who was not a Group Product Manager (i.e. a potential peer) - at times appeared to be looking for a level of detail that would be difficult to know with certainty unless I had insider information about the app we chose to discuss. At other times, the person conducting the interview told me that my answers were good, or that my approach was good. Although an underwhelming experience, the questions were fairly basic and open-ended.
And then .... I received the 'we will not be moving forward with next steps' e-mail. That's it. Done. Period.
So, for a Group Product Manager role, I never had the chance to talk with anyone on the product team about my background, skills, or experience in any level of detail. ezCater knows nothing about the products that I have brought to market, the trade-offs I've made, the data I've used to make decisions, or the people that I have managed throughout my career or examples of amazing and difficult situations I've encountered while managing people. I also did not have the chance to interview with a person in the role and/or the hiring manager for this role. Instead, this Case Study exercise, of which the only directions provided are 'be prepared to talk about one of the apps' seems to be the make-it-or-break-it activity that somehow provides insight not only into level of fit as a Product Manager, but also apparently level of fit for people management, and I guess culture fit as well!
I know this probably sounds like sour grapes, but I want to share this experience so that others interviewing for this role -- who may have been approached about it like I was -- can get a feel for what to expect. Like I said, I'm not in the market for a new role and most likely would have withdrawn myself from consideration had I made it farther into the process as I was not totally sure that this was the best fit for me, but I do feel like this was a poor experience to the point where I want to say something about it, so maybe it can be improved for others, hence my first-ever review on Glassdoor.
Also, although very nice to speak with, the recruiter's form-like rejection e-mail, titled 'Regarding your ezCater Candidacy' invited me to keep an eye on the job openings at ezCater and to feel free to apply if something else' caught my eye (um, this position didn't even catch my eye), but somehow, I don't think I'll be doing that.
