Center for Alternative Sentencing & Employment Services Interview Questions
& Process

I applied online and heard back for an interview a week later. The second interview was two days after that. I was really let down by the second interview and how they didn't follow up. Two employees, one Black and one white, interviewed me. The white interviewer seemed to think I was someone else for the first 10 minutes, even though my name is clearly Asian and I'm Black. He asked me questions about working with diverse clients and if I could be objective with different cultures. I'm not sure if it was because of my big afro or because I was confident and knew a lot about the issues affecting people in Manhattan. Anyway, the interview lasted about 45 minutes. I sent a thank you email the next day. I waited a week for a response about the job but didn't get anything. I called all my contacts after a week and got no answer or callback. So yeah, it wasn't a great experience. They were unprofessional because they didn't reply to calls or emails. The funniest part was seeing them in the halls at the Manhattan criminal court building and their awkward smiles and avoiding eye contact. It was gross.

I got an invite from a director in Harlem for an interview. We chatted for about 30 minutes. She did most of the talking, which was fine by me, and was really open about the job's challenges and the organization's goals. Later, I had a second interview. I had a week to prepare a 30-minute lesson on one of four topics. I made a PowerPoint and gave the lesson to the class. They seemed to like it and were very welcoming. After the lesson, I had another 30-minute interview with two teachers and another program director.

I was interviewed by two junior staff members instead of HR. They conducted all interviews back-to-back and were late without apologizing. They didn't introduce themselves upon meeting me. The interview felt rushed, with questions merged and no conversational flow. They asked very unusual and opinionated questions. I received no rejection email despite significant preparation, professional attire, and an in-person commute. The interviewers were very unprofessional. I would prefer unemployment over working with them.

After I applied, someone reached out about a week later to set up a phone interview. They then quickly scheduled me for an in-person interview. Because I got another job offer shortly after the in-person interview, I asked CASES if they could speed up their decision. They were very helpful and extended an offer the very next day, and they were available to answer any questions I had while I was deciding.