CDC Foundation Interview Questions
& Process

I interviewed for the PHA role with the Overdose Response Strategy program. After submitting a resume and cover letter, I was contacted for a brief screening interview by phone. I was then invited for a panel interview, and asked to email a work sample and contact information for two professional references. The panel interview was with four people: two representing the CDC Foundation/ORS, and two representatives from the partner agencies I would be supporting on site.

I applied for the position in June 2025 but I figured that I would not hear anything due to the popularity around working for the CDC Foundation. To my surprise, I heard back from someone on the hiring team at the end of September 2025. I booked a 30-minute screening call within a week of that email which went well. That same day of my screening call, I was asked to complete a writing assignment within 24 hours. Around 2 weeks later, I finally heard back and scheduled an interview (I believe the final interview?) with some of the hiring team the week after (end of October 2025). Unfortunately, I was told the morning of my interview that hiring would be paused for the holiday season and that the application would reopen January 2026 with interested candidates to be interviewed in February 2026. I sent a follow-up email to the team in January 2026 to get more insight, but it was not until the beginning of February 2026 that I was told that the leadership team decided that position was no longer needed as the current team as able to complete the workload. I was really disappointed as I was told that I was considered a strong candidate.

First there was a phone call that was just a basic screening. Then there was a zoom interview that was a panel. The questions were simple and the people were nice. The team was small and mostly filled with entry-level employees. The workload wasn't communicated very clearly, mostly vague. The days involved administrative tasks and outreach at various locations around the city, so it was a mix of tasks.

The process involved 3 virtual interviews and a writing assessment. Communication was a bit rough, had a hard time getting replies by phone and email after following up on missed deadlines. A writing assignment was given with a very tight deadline (one business day), and even asking for one more day was denied, and no feedback was given after submitting it. They might ask for references after the last interview, but they might not even contact them. I didn't feel like my time was valued. The team was open to my feedback though.