DonorsChoose.org General Intern Interview Questions
& Process

The interview process was very long, though I do think this is done for the hiring managers to see who is willing to put in the work before they are even part of the company. First, there is a short 30 minute interview with one person - it's like a screening interview but a little more in depth. If you get past that, you'll have to complete an assignment and submit it for review. If you are still being considered, you will then have a 1 hour interview with three hiring managers. This third step can be intimidating, but I had a pretty pleasant experience with my interviewers. This is as far as I made it - I asked for feedback as to why I was not considered further and did receive an answer about two weeks later with further details from one of the hiring managers. I think I expected more feedback, but I guess it's normal for hiring managers to not be so open to telling you why they didn't hire you. However, since I had such a good experience and was able to connect with my interviewers beyond the company and role, I keep in contact with them through email and LinkedIn.

The process took about 3 months. I reached the in-person interview stage before being notified that I was a top applicant, but they were not planning to move me forward. Donors Choose's process is intensive. At each step, you really have to advocate for yourself, what you care about, and your relevance of skills and experience to the position. The process began with a prompt email indicating they'd received the application and wouldn't go longer than two weeks without an update. They used every drop of those two weeks every single time, and then maybe a little more. After that, I was asked to complete a sample email for a 'brown bag' talk on a topic of my choice. Two-ish weeks later, I signed up for and received a phone interview. A couple weeks later, I was able to arrange an in-person interview at the office, which I thought went well. I'd like to believe that the extra time and intensive process goes towards selecting better candidates who strive for just Donors Choose, as I envision less patient candidates opting out of the process in favor of faster moving hires. On the flip side, however, this process takes quite a lot of time and energy from both sides. At the least, I was given some insight on the strengths and weaknesses of my interview. I wonder if time can be saved by simply screening more aggressively early on rather than stringing more applicants along for longer. It comes off somewhat unprofessional.

Had one phone interview, then they asked for writing samples. The phone interview was mostly behavioral, asking things like "tell me about a time when..." or "what is your greatest weakness?". They also wanted to know about my interest in the company and nonprofit work. They asked a few questions about my resume, but seemed more focused on work ethic, passion, and creativity. The people were really nice.