Child Mind Institute Interview Questions
& Process

I went through three rounds of interviews with a month's gap between each. The last one was a panel interview. It felt unprofessional as one of the interviewers was eating during the session. I had to chase them for an update after waiting a month, and the only positive interaction was with the third-party HR representative who did respond. No feedback was given.

I met the Director of Development and a long-time employee (2.5 years) in the first meeting, along with their hired consultant for Direct Mail. After several weeks, I was invited back to meet the Executive Director and HR. The President also surprised me by joining that meeting, which lasted about 1.5 hours. HR's responses to my questions about the work environment seemed questionable based on recent reviews. When I followed up with HR and others via email as instructed, the Director of Development called me and asked me to direct all future questions to her. CMI then requested writing samples, salary info, and references. I gave them my most recent manager as a reference, but they apparently never spoke. They did contact my manager from my very first job. I'm unsure if they contacted my more recent references, who were listed with titles and organizations. It's puzzling why they would check references if they weren't hiring me, especially if they didn't contact my most recent manager for her input. I was disappointed with the outcome and they wouldn't explain their decision.

The interview process started with a call from a headhunter. They were late and seemed not to have looked at my resume at all. They weren't really checking my qualifications, just focused on whether I'd work 4 10-hour days and if the location and salary were acceptable. They couldn't answer most of my questions about the job, and it didn't seem like there were any opportunities for growth, even though I have a lot of experience in this field. They could only offer me a salary at the higher end of the range.

So, there were a few steps in the interview. First, a quick chat with HR to see if I was a fit. Then, I spoke with my potential manager, which was more of a chat about general stuff, not super technical. After that, I had a panel interview with leaders from three different teams, which was a bit more technical and focused on my past experience, strengths, and weaknesses. I didn't move forward after that, but the next step would have been a short presentation on my PhD projects.