Common Sense Media Interview Questions
& Process

I went through a few rounds over the summer as the role changed. First, I talked to a recruiter, then I met with the Communications team and some of them. Later interviews focused on the updated role and my experience and ideas.

I applied online and heard back for a phone interview pretty quickly, within 2 days. The first call was with HR, then a video chat with the person I'd report to, followed by 4 in-person interviews with 7 people total, some I met more than once. The whole thing took about 4 months. Everyone I spoke with seemed smart and really believed in the company's mission. Sadly, I had to back out because of major communication issues. Even though I put my expected salary in the application and confirmed it with HR on the first call, I found out 4 months later that my range was way over budget for the job. Apparently, HR mixed up my range with another role. This came out after all that time and effort when my potential boss asked about my salary expectations. She was surprised and admitted she hadn't really checked my application thoroughly. It was a really disappointing moment. She apologized and said she'd talk to her boss to see if anything could be done and would get back to me in a day. She never did, and after a weekend I followed up and decided to withdraw my application. It was a pretty disrespectful way to end things. I still think the people I interviewed with are smart and dedicated, but their hiring process needs a lot of work and organization. If you're applying here, definitely be upfront and clear about pay from the very start and keep checking in on it.

I applied for their policy intern position in DC, and since I was in the Hampton Roads, VA area, they were cool with doing a Skype interview. The whole thing was about 20 minutes and felt more like a chat than a formal interview. The person interviewing me was nice and seemed really interested in what I'd done before. After the Skype chat, they wanted me to write a memo about a bill that was up for consideration to check my writing skills. Then, I had another interview over the phone with someone higher up.

After I sent in my resume and cover letter, I heard back about 2-3 weeks later. Since I wasn't in California at the time, I had a Skype interview with two people. It was a really nice and pleasant experience. They asked me what I was hoping to gain from the internship, which was a nice surprise. They mentioned they'd let me know their decision, and I heard back roughly a day after.