Institute for Sustainable Communities Interview Questions
& Process

It was three interviews over about a month. They had me do a writing sample but never gave any feedback. The people seemed standoffish but still nice. The head of talent acquisition or recruiter always had a dark screen, they were kind but the one problem I had with them is that they ghosted me after the last interview, even though throughout the interview process, after each interview I would communicate with them to ensure clarity and next steps.

The interview process was pretty standard. It started with a phone screening, then I had an interview with three staff members, followed by a final interview with the director. I actually turned down the offer because I got another one and took it. When I let them know I wouldn't be taking the job, I thanked them and said the position was great but I had accepted another offer. Things got weird after that, though. They completely ghosted me, didn't even respond. It felt unprofessional, not even a quick thank you for my time. Totally not cool.

The interview process involved several rounds of interviews and an unpaid exercise. Although I made it to the final stage, the company extended the process for several weeks without providing updates. After sending multiple emails, I was finally informed that they had selected another candidate. I believe this company needs to be more respectful of candidates' time and conduct interviews more thoughtfully. My experience suggests that the interviewers lacked the necessary expertise to properly evaluate candidates for the role. If a company doesn't have in-house expertise for assessment, I'd suggest reaching out to their professional network for someone in a similar role to assist with interviews. While I admire the organization's mission, I found their interpersonal skills to be lacking at various levels, particularly among the leadership. The general staff and people I interacted with were pleasant, though.

The Senior People and Culture Generalist was a terrific communicator throughout the entire process. I was told what to expect from the onset, and the three interviews (two of which were panels) consisted of 10-12 pre-determined questions to ensure an equitable hiring process, but I do wish the interaction was set up to be more conversational to get a better understanding of one another. I was very impressed by the organization's culture, the professionalism of the team and the follow-up.