Clean Water Action Interview Questions
& Process

I had an in-person interview for this role. It was pretty straightforward and the manager was really welcoming. They asked standard questions about my past work experience. It was quite a while ago, so I don't recall every detail, but it was a nice interview overall.

The job description for the Public Health Internship was not clear about the actual duties. It was described as a canvassing role that involves traveling to different places and going door-to-door using strong sales tactics, even after dark. I was told that eventually, I'd be working alone, with partners in other areas but not right next to me. This sounds potentially dangerous. I was driven an hour away to shadow the actual canvassing work. If I performed well during the shadowing, I could start canvassing and would get a stipend. The initial travel and shadowing part did not seem to be paid. Everyone was nice, but the job description was just too vague.

The first meeting is pretty much just an intro to the job, which is canvassing. They'll tell you about it, and if you're interested, they'll offer you a second interview. This second interview is basically a full shift of canvassing with a field manager. You'll shadow them knocking on doors, then try it yourself. After the shift, you'll find out if you got the offer. It's a really simple and quick process. My only gripe is that the title 'community organizer' doesn't really reflect the actual job, which is more like a 'door-to-door canvass fundraiser.'

So, I applied and got a call pretty quick, like within a couple days, to schedule an interview. The interview was super short, maybe 10 minutes max. Then they told me about the next step, this "observation day." I had it the very next day. It involved following a field manager around while they were canvassing. We drove to the town in this old van, "the burb." They gave us a "rap" to use when asking people for donations. After about 4 hours of me shadowing and going door-to-door with the manager, I got my own area to try. It was getting dark, and the street didn't have much of a sidewalk, so I was basically walking on the street at night. Lots of people said no, which I get, it was dinner time and we were bothering them. That experience made me rethink the job. Also, a really important thing: I applied for the Montclair group and was told I'd make $500 a week, and I specifically asked if it was commission-based, and they said no, multiple times. BUT, on observation day, they told me I'd only get the $500/wk if I met a $950/wk contribution goal. I really didn't like that this wasn't mentioned upfront. Good luck if you're applying!