Brookings Institution Interview Questions
& Process

I had one phone interview with my potential supervisor and someone more junior on the team. They asked me some questions about my background and why I was interested in this particular role. After that, they gave me a conditional offer, which was dependent on a reference check.

The interview process was quick and professional. I heard back about the screener pretty soon after applying. The screener itself was pretty standard, mostly behavioral questions, but it also had a policy focus, like a policy question of the day which I thought was interesting.

The interview process started well. I interviewed with one department and they determined because of my years of experience would be better suited for a higher ranking role in a different department. I was connected to the hiring manager in that department. I interviewed with the person who I would be reporting to as well as the people who would be reporting to me. I also did a writing assignment. By the end they made me a verbal offer and told me my salary, then rescinded it through a standard automated email. One of their claims was that I lied on my resume by stating I worked somewhere that I didn’t. I did resign from my current role during the interview process with Brookings because I had received other offers but they treated that as if I was never employed there during the time of my application. They also never requested an updated resume during this months long interview process or ask me for an employment update.

The first stage was a phone screen that seemed to be mostly about salary expectations, checking if your minimum acceptable salary was low enough for the role's seniority. The second interview was with the center director and was more focused on policy and research. It felt like they were more interested in hiring people to work on their current grants and contracts rather than those who could bring in new funding or transfer existing grants.