Center for Biological Diversity Interview Questions
& Process

Submitted my application late Sept and got an email early Oct to schedule the first round phone interview. Had a good 30-40 min chat with the science director, mostly behavioral and about my past work, no technical stuff. They first planned to move forward with three other candidates for round two, but then they emailed me again late Dec to set up a second round in-person interview for early Jan. The in-person thing was 4 hours long, with about 6 meetings with different staff. Only the media person asked actual technical questions (to see if I could explain science to normal people), everyone else was all about past experiences or situational/behavioral questions. They said they'd get back to me in 3 weeks after interviewing another candidate, but when I followed up end of Jan, they mentioned getting more applications and would interview them before deciding. I'm guessing I'm probably not a top contender for the offer at this point.

I'm giving CFBD a neutral rating. While I respect their work, I was let down by my experience interviewing for a senior development role. After several interviews, some lasting over an hour and a half, there was no final decision. I emailed the hiring manager twice in the weeks following my third interview, and they assured me I was still being considered. I only found out I didn't get the job when I saw it posted as filled on their website. This lack of communication felt unprofessional, and I didn't feel like my time and effort in preparing was valued.

After two interviews, including a 2-hour panel interview, the program director emailed me that they were hopeful they would be able to extend me an offer. I responded to this email and then did not hear anything for over a month. When I followed up again, the program director emailed that they had made an offer to someone else who had already accepted the position. I was struck by the lack of communication and consideration after receiving in writing that the team was hopeful they were going to give me an offer, even if that was not set in stone.

The interview was conducted remotely over Zoom. It involved general background questions, including why I was looking to switch jobs, my interest in wildlife, and typical problem-solving questions like 'Tell me about a time you had to. . .'. Unfortunately, I wasn't selected for a second round, which was a letdown. No feedback was provided, but that's pretty standard.