Reading this brings back memories. When I was at WF in tech, the "Account Scandal" (AS) honestly didn't feel like that big of a deal. It seemed more like a sales/marketing issue, a sc--w-up that didn't directly impact my day-to-day tech duties. Little did I know how wrong I was.
After getting laid off, the Account Scandal came up in almost every single interview. Recruiters and hiring managers wanted to know if I was involved, my thoughts on it, how it affected my work, what I thought of WF management, and how I handled disagreeing with management.
They also asked tough hypotheticals about reporting unethical behavior. Questions like, "If you saw something unethical happening, even if it wasn't in your direct area, what steps would you take?" or "How would you handle a situation where your manager asked you to do something you felt was ethically questionable?" My first few interviews didn't go well because I was genuinely surprised it was such a major focus and probably came across as clueless or evasive. I quickly learned I needed to have a thoughtful answer ready. I am not a crook!
I don't know about you, but my experience was that the "account scandal" was a constant topic in interviews. How did others here handle questions about the Account Scandal, WF management, or the culture during their job search?
Just a heads-up for other tech folks laid off from WF: be prepared. It's not just the "account scandal" that comes up. In tech interviews now, you might also face detailed questions about the "Agile transformation fail" and the "cloud migration challenges" at WF. You'd be surprised how much tech leadership outside of WF knows (or thinks they know) about the specific tech issues at the bank. Be ready to talk about your experience with those initiatives, your role, and what you learned. And have your answers prepared for those ethical hypotheticals – they want to see that you understand the importance of reporting issues and have a process in mind for handling difficult situations, potentially linking back to lessons learned (by the industry) from the AS. Don't underestimate how much these perceived failures and the ethics questions are known in the industry and how they might come up when discussing your experience.