Carnegie Endowment for Intl. Peace Interview Questions
& Process

After applying, I went through two interviews and was one of two finalists. The whole process was pretty fast, lasting only about three weeks. The interviews were with the director and some fellows. I'd recommend researching the fellows you might meet to get a better idea of how you can assist them. They were quite casual and enjoyable discussions about the field and how you'd fit into the team.

Interviewing with Carnegie Endowment for International Peace was a really weird experience, and I’d tell people to be careful. It started off well, with HR being clear and flexible about scheduling, which was nice. The four interviewers were also polite and organized, and the interviews themselves seemed to go fine. However, it felt like it was all just for show because they ended up hiring an internal candidate without telling us. They didn't give any hints this might happen, like a super short job posting period. I don’t get why they’d interview so many people if they already had a favorite internal candidate. And why put us through a long process with two interviews and an editing test if we weren't really being considered? At best, Carnegie seems to care about appearances – making the hiring process look fair – when they really disrespected the candidates and staff who put a lot of time and effort into it. At worst, Carnegie seems to have a fake and insular work culture.

It started with a 30-minute Zoom call with the hiring team for the research assistant role, but it quickly became clear they were actually looking for an event planner or administrative assistant, which wasn't what the job description suggested. The vibe was super awkward, and the interviewers seemed out of sync. Then, HR called out of the blue to talk salary, making it known that research assistants max out at $40k-$46k, regardless of education or experience. Next up was a writing assessment, which was basically an event planning project with a 24-hour deadline and minimal, unclear instructions. The final interview focused on the writing task, and the atmosphere felt really tense and confrontational. A heads-up: HR contacts candidates by phone, not email, so be ready for unexpected salary talks and interview scheduling. The whole thing dragged on for weeks, and candidates who didn't get the offer were ghosted by HR.

I got contacted a few weeks after applying. They were interested in my personal and professional background. The interview was with two staff members and lasted about 20 minutes. They seemed interested in my experience, but when I explained more, it became clear they thought I was overqualified or misunderstood the job description. Since it's an entry-level role, you'd think there'd be room to grow, but they said there wasn't. It was obvious they just needed someone to fill the spot. The job description sounded better than how they described it. I never heard back, even after sending a thank you email.