DonorsChoose.org Interview Questions
& Process

Had a 30 min chat with the Hiring Manager. We talked about my intro, how I collaborate with the dev team, the tools I use, and my experience with AI tools, plus my favorite apps and the reasons why. It was a really good and comfortable environment, and I learned a lot about areas where I can improve.

So, I went through the interview process with DonorsChoose and man, it was not good. I want to tell you my bad experience so you don't have to go through it. The whole thing took FOREVER, like FIVE rounds. It took up so much of my time and made me wonder if they even care about candidates' time. Plus, this third party kept bothering me asking about my other job offers, which felt super weird and unprofessional. Like they were trying to get info to lowball me. Then, after all those interviews, they emailed to schedule ANOTHER one, but surprise! They already picked someone. So disorganized and bad communication. And the offer? It was the lowest one I got from all my interviews. They clearly don't value talent. For tech people, their tech stack is ancient. Like, no Spring Boot, just old JSPs. It's a bummer and bad for your career. So yeah, long process, sketchy hiring, bad communication, low pay, and old tech. Be careful if you're thinking about applying, especially for tech jobs.

This interview process spanned over two months. Initially, it seemed promising, but it ended up being one of the most invalidating experiences I've had in my career. Here's how it went down: First, a 45-minute call with a recruiter, followed by a 60-minute video call with the same recruiter. Then, a 60-minute video call with the hiring manager. Next, I had a take-home "thought exercise" that took 150 minutes to complete, which I had to present in a 75-minute video call to a three-person committee. After that, I had a follow-up call with the recruiter where I was told I was the frontrunner and that a final in-person interview would be required. This travel requirement, over 1000 miles away, was never mentioned before, and I couldn't take a full day off work due to my current job's demands. Despite this, they offered to have someone travel to me, but that was canceled due to a family emergency on their end. Then, I agreed to travel for the in-person interview on a date they confirmed, but they later canceled that too and asked me to come the following week, which I had already stated wouldn't work. At this point, I insisted on a virtual interview, citing the two-month duration, my flexibility, and my inability to keep extending the process. Consequently, I was disqualified. So, for a remote role, after dedicating about 7 hours, showing incredible flexibility, being called a frontrunner, and not being informed about the travel requirement upfront, I was removed from consideration after accommodating their travel dates and then requesting a virtual format. After I raised concerns about the process, I received a weak apology. This company doesn't seem to value candidates' time. Their emphasis on empathy during interviews felt scripted, and they didn't show real empathy. Other reviews suggest this role might not even have a genuine hiring intent, as others have complained about lengthy decision-making. The process was unnecessarily difficult and lengthy. They also failed to clearly communicate the requirements, especially travel, for a remote role, giving vague reasons like "connecting differently." This lack of awareness regarding the resources and time commitment required for last-minute travel requests is particularly concerning for a company supposedly focused on inclusivity.

So the first thing was a phone chat with someone from the talent team. They were really pushing their DEI stuff in interviews and hiring, which sounded super cool. Seeing as there aren't a lot of people who look like me, I'm still hopeful. After that, I got a performance task to do, and I had to turn it in with no name on it. They said they review it anonymously to avoid bias. It makes me wonder though, how is that actually working out for finding good people of color when the hires don't actually show up in their diversity numbers?