DSST Public Schools Interview Questions
& Process

The process was very straightforward, and I learned a lot about the organization. It's clear they care about their students. I didn't move forward because I had another offer.

So the first interview was this recorded video thing, you know? You had to answer 5 questions, and each one you only had 2 minutes. They did give you unlimited time to think and let you re-record each question once, which was nice. The kicker was that 4 out of the 5 questions were all about 'tell me about a time you messed up and how you fixed it'. I mean, I get that those are important questions, but four of them on the first go? And only 2 minutes? It's tough to really showcase yourself and put a positive spin on things when you're so limited. While these questions are important, I feel like the first interview should also be a chance to get to know the applicant a bit better, not just focus on mistakes.

The process was long. I first applied online, then had to answer some one-way online questions where I was recorded and had three attempts to answer each question, which was stressful. After that, there were several rounds of in-person interviews with different people from the organization. The final interview was with two deans and the person organizing everything, which was a standard interview. Interestingly, the job they interviewed me for wasn't actually a school social work position, which made me less interested, and I didn't get an offer anyway. It was a significant time investment. Lastly, the person who informed me about the outcome emailed to ask if I had time to discuss the position, and after I made time, they just told me I didn't get it.

After getting a callback, I first had an online meeting with the department head. Then, I had a second interview with another para, a director, and the department head. I felt pretty good about it. They didn't ask the same things over and over, they let me show what I can do, and they explained the job duties really clearly.