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I worked there as a temp a number of years ago and did not like the culture at all! I worked in their customer service center. You were not allowed to have anything to eat or drink at your desk and if you got caught you were written up or fired. They also had someone who literally walked the floor constantly monitoring everyone. I felt like I was in jail. Really. Thankfully I was only there around 3 or 4 months. I was thrilled to get the heck out of there! Also, it was a fairly young group (the full time employees) and all they talked about was going out and getting drunk after work.
Does anyone know any recent information about the company at all? I am contemplating it but it just seems mysterious the way they begin screening ppl. Just a thought. Thanks for the info though.
No, they do NOT take good care of their people. If you need a paycheck, okay, but otherwise I would not work there (again) if I had any alternative at all. Stay far, far away. Try INC Research in Raleigh instead if you are trying to break into the biz. Other CRO options include Kendle, Quintiles, i3/United, Rho, and PRA International off the top of my head... CROs are largely all the same but PPD is by FAR the bottom of the barrel.
Does anyone know any recent information about the company at all? I am contemplating it but it just seems mysterious the way they begin screening ppl. Just a thought. Thanks for the info though.
I interviewed at PPD a couple of months ago for a mid-level non-supervisory position and they use a scripted behavior-based interview process. Questions were from a list provided by HR and they typically started out with "Tell me about a time when ..." or "Have you been in a situation where ..." which I found difficult to answer because I am not good at BS. The people interviewing me were like robots asking almost the same question repeatedly. They asked me almost no questions about my technical skills, even though I have seven years of experience in my field and technical skills are a large part of the position. I didn't get the job even though I was completely qualified for it, and I saw it reposted online a few weeks later. I did get a position at another company a few weeks later and I really feel like I dodged a bullet.
From what I've heard, they do treat their low level employees(customer service, data entry etc.) like crap as the poster above said, but do treat the professional level employees better.
Last edited by badger77; 07-25-2010 at 08:47 AM..
Reason: clarity
Those types of questions are not unusual. Unfortunately.
And you're right, B.S. experts (who can remember how they answered each question, posed differently) will do much better than those who aren't B.S.'ers.
I was once in a job where, for many years, I hired many people. Many, many interviews. All of them worked out perfectly and several rose in the ranks. I had my list of questions, but I never asked those types of questions in that way. I expect to be asked about my experience and how I would handle different situations, but it's nerve-wracking to attempt to answer the scripted questions honestly.
I share your frustration.
Quote:
Originally Posted by badger77
I interviewed at PPD a couple of months ago for a mid-level non-supervisory position and they use a scripted behavior-based interview process. Questions were from a list provided by HR and they typically started out with "Tell me about a time when ..." or "Have you been in a situation where ..." which I found difficult to answer because I am not good at BS. The people interviewing me were like robots asking almost the same question repeatedly. They asked me almost no questions about my technical skills, even though I have seven years of experience in my field and technical skills are a large part of the position. I didn't get the job even though I was completely qualified for it, and I saw it reposted online a few weeks later. I did get a position at another company a few weeks later and I really feel like I dodged a bullet.
From what I've heard, they do treat their low level employees(customer service, data entry etc.) like crap as the poster above said, but do treat the professional level employees better.
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ppd
