Brooklyn LAB Charter School Interview Questions
& Process

First, there was a 30 min phone screen, then a 3 question video interview where you could re-record answers (max 2 min per answer), and finally another 30 min phone interview. It was pretty simple, way easier than most.

This was an interesting process. They used an external consulting firm from the South, not even in NY, who weren't very familiar with the school's specific systems and programs. Because of this, the recruiter wasn't someone actually part of the school, which made the interview feel a bit awkward. When I asked about student data, she didn't seem to grasp the school-specific terminology. It's unusual for a school like Brooklyn Lab, which I'd expect to have the resources for an in-house recruiter, to outsource this. The negative reviews online also suggest a lack of a proper HR department. While I understand the 'start-up' approach might involve outsourcing, I was surprised given how vital teacher and admin recruitment is.

This was by far the worst interview experience I have ever had. They were very disorganized and scheduled my interview on a holiday. When no one called me, I sent an email and Erin (CEO) gave me a call from a noisy coffee shop within a few hours. We spoke for quite a long time and it was a pretty typical interview. Afterward, she emailed me almost immediately saying that wanted to fly me out to interview at the school. She asked me to send her my information so she could book my flight of which I received a confirmation email from her. After this point, I sent 3 follow-up emails to her and her staff about the flight and what to prepare for the upcoming interview. The day of the flight came and went and I never heard from them again. If this experience doesn't tell you enough about this organization, I don't know what will.

I met with two staff members, which was a breeze and they were lovely and passionate about their roles. However, I cannot say the same about the two co-founders who have the final say in the recruitment process as they are the HR team. The experience of interviewing was drawn out much longer than it needed to be and the co-founders really ruined the experience for me. It seemed like all of the staff who were people of color were in one building while the co-founders and their fellow white employees were placed in another building. It's so sad to see that a school that has so much potential be run by co-founders that are so disorganized. They are doing a huge disservice to their students and the community. Furthermore, there is no human resources department at the school--recruiting and all other decisions are made by the co-founders which is a huge conflict of interest in itself. Hire more minorities and treat your staff with respect. From what I heard from staff members/former employees about the demands of the co-founders, it seems like they don't believe in taking care of their staff or creating a culture of work-life balance. Also, the position in itself required the work of about 3 different positions that they tried to just combine into one, with a very meager salary to boot. Overall, very disappointing experience. The mission of the school seems great in theory. Hopefully, they can hire people who are more competent and get rid of the awful co-founders.