HESS Interview Process

Yesterday, I wrote about moving to Japan. While my ultimate goal was working in Japan, I did also apply to work for HESS, which owns a chain of English schools in Taiwan. Here is a post describing that experience.

On HESS's website, they make you go through a checklist before you're able to access the application. The checklist is essentially a short series of questions that are meant to make you think about whether or not you actually want to work for HESS. It's obvious what the "right" answers are, and nothing about this part is complicated though I did think it was interesting that it's necessary for reaching the application.

After the checklist, you'll get a button to take you to the actual application. Since I can no longer see my application, it's difficult for me to recall the specific information that it asks for. You will want to make sure that you have references (and I think a reference letter) that you can upload to the application. I think I also uploaded my college transcripts and a cover letter. HESS also requires that you provide them with pictures of yourself.

After submitting the application, I got an email from HESS asking me to answer more questions through a Google form. This was shorter than the application but still detailed. I'm not sure if they eliminate people before this step, but because HESS has you put preferred location on your first application, this part of the process gets more specific about what area you would like to work in.

Not long after I completed the Google form, I got an email from HESS asking to schedule a Skype interview. I really liked their process for scheduling interviews. I could see all of the available interview times, and I clicked on the one that worked best, which automatically scheduled that interview time for me.

In the email I received about the interview, I was told to prepare a lesson plan based on a topic given to me in the email. I did this. However, it turns out that I didn't need to, which I'll explain in a moment.

On the scheduled date of the interview, I was ready, if nervous. Then, Skype wouldn't connect. The interviewer tried several times; I tried calling them; and then they messaged me via Skype asking if they could call over the phone. I, of course, said yes, and the interviewer, after verifying my phone number from the application, called over the phone.

I'm not sure how completing the interview over the phone instead of Skype changed the process. I didn't do much talking during the interview though. Most of it was the interviewer explaining HESS to me and telling me what would happen if I got a job. There wasn't much "selling myself" at all. While I had been nervous prior to the interview, I was significantly less so after realizing that I wouldn't be saying that much.

While I didn't time it, I feel like I talked for maybe fifteen minutes during the hour and a half interview. I was asked about the lesson plan I had created, and instead of having to teach it like the email had implied, I just had to explain what I'd put in my lesson plan. I have no idea if this was because the interview was over the phone or if they would have done this anyway. I also had to answer a question about what I would do if a student misbehaved in class and continued to misbehave even after being redirected several times.

Those were the only times, at least that I can remember, where the call actually felt like an interview. I feel like most of their decision was based on my application itself and that they likely accept most applicants. I can't confirm this of course, but it's certainly what it felt like.

Almost a week after the interview, I got an email from HESS saying that they would like to offer me a position. There was a button in the email that I had to click in order to confirm said position. As I had taken a different job in Japan, I emailed them back to think them but declined the offer.

They did email me several days after the initial offer with a reminder to confirm (as I hadn't yet while I waited to hear back about the job that I did accept). In that email they said something along the lines of, "If you've already accepted, please ignore this email. If you've rejected the offer, we'll record your answer shortly," so I'm not sure how often they go through the responses and figure out who accepted and who didn't (or how many applications they have going at a time).