CIC (Cambridge Innovation Center) Interview Questions
& Process

This process was way too long. It started with two video interviews, followed by a 45-minute assessment that felt like it was for law school, which I didn't really get the connection to. Then, I had an onsite visit with interviews from three people across two divisions. To finish, there was another video interview with the VP of Global Sales while I was still on site. I felt like I nailed it and had great vibes with everyone, really fitting the culture and even offering some ideas they found valuable enough to write down for implementation. Even though I had another job offer, I preferred this one with CIC. I was upfront about it, and the next day they told me they were moving on with other candidates. I asked for feedback but got absolutely nothing, which felt disrespectful after dedicating nearly 8 hours to the process. I thought I was well-qualified and did great, especially after the onsite.

The interview process was challenging but rewarding. I had two rounds of interviews. The first round was half an hour with a recruiter, the second round lasted an hour with the recruiter and one staff of Venture Café Global. The interviews were very focused on my experience in the startup ecosystem, my leadership skills, and my vision for the future of Venture Café. I was asked to share my thoughts on the challenges and opportunities facing the startup community, and how I would address them. I was also asked to describe my leadership style and how I would build a high-performing team. The interview process was very demanding, but it was also very fair. I felt like I was given a fair opportunity to showcase my skills and experience, and I was able to learn a lot about the company and the role. If you are interested in this position, I would highly recommend preparing thoroughly and being ready to answer challenging questions. Here are some tips for the interview: - Do your research on Venture Café and the startup ecosystem. - Be prepared to answer questions about your leadership skills and experience. - Be able to articulate your vision for the future of Venture Café. - Be yourself and let your personality shine through. I wish you the best of luck in your interview!

I talked to the talent acquisition lead first, which was a pretty chill chat. They mentioned it might take a while to hear back, which was good info. Then I got a call back for an interview with the associate director. It was actually a 3-way interview with the talent acquisition lead and the associate director. That lasted about an hour. After that, there was an Excel project assessment, also about an hour. Then a separate critical thinking assessment, maybe 30 min to an hour. I thought I did well, and the agency even said the feedback was great and they were working on next steps. But then, 2 days later, I got told they weren't moving forward because the assessment wasn't strong enough. No specifics on which assessment or any context, which felt pretty weird. I reached out to the two people I interviewed with to thank them and ask for feedback since I'm still looking, but no response. I'm not mad, just felt a bit disrespected after spending 3-4 hours on interviews and assessments to not get any real feedback on why I didn't make the cut. It would have been more professional to at least know what I did wrong. Heard similar things about this company's hiring process being extensive and a bit of a letdown.

I first interviewed for a research role with the CIC, but they picked someone else. A few weeks later, someone from their talent team contacted me about a new role they thought would be a better fit for me. I was happy they remembered me and agreed to talk to the hiring managers. Even though there wasn't a job description or title yet, the interview lasted about 30 minutes and seemed to go well. The next step was a 'project work exercise' due within 24 hours. It involved creating a detailed brief on specific locations and ecosystems, plus a bunch of other things. I stayed up all night to finish it, even putting aside my regular work. I submitted the project on August 5th but haven't heard back since. It's frustrating to do so much work with no follow-up, so I'd recommend looking elsewhere.