I applied on their website and was called the next day. They asked me about my customer service and collections experience, and then was offered an interview at their headquarters. The recruiter also essentially asked me to give them all of the information from my resume over the phone, which I found strange.
When I arrived at the interview, there was a lot of confusion as to which side of the building was the main entrance and how to get through the doors. They gave me very poor instructions for getting past their partially-automated security, and an incorrect name for the interviewer, which made it difficult to print the badge required to enter the building. My interviewer was very nice, and I noted that the employees were allowed to dress in casual-wear. The interviewer explained that their collections department is split into 3 groups--30 days, 60 days and 90 days, with pay at $11/hr in the 30-day group and 12.83 in the 90-day group. She also mentioned some healthy team competitions and games which actually sounded pretty fun!
The interview went well, and I was asked if I would like to move forward with a second interview while there. I agreed, and was directed to another building to meet with a different interviewer. I was also given the wrong name for the second interviewer, but it didn't cause a problem at the 2nd building since I already had a badge printed. In the 2nd interview, I was asked about ethical concerns--drug & alcohol usage, employment history/reasons for leaving, what your managers would say about you, criminal history, driving record, etc. Despite the fact that this is not a driving role, driving record (at-fault accidents and frequent speeding tickets) does affect your eligibility for this position. I wish I'd been given that information up front, but the interviewer told me to attempt the background check and drug test anyway. Then, they sent me another ethics quiz and a job emulator/skills test that together took another hour. They said their background checks take around 2 weeks, and it's only been a few days, so I haven't heard back yet. All of this is WITHOUT an official offer, so recognize that you have some hoops to jump through with no guarantees.
Sterling seems like a nice place to work with decent benefits, but they need to work out the kinks in their interview process so they don't come off as disorganized to good applicants. Both interviewers seemed as nervous as I was, and probably got short notice that they would be conducting interviews. Someone even commented on it in the elevator... that said, from the outside, it seems like a place with high goals but nice perks for good workers.