ISA (International Studies Abroad) Interview Questions
& Process

So the process had two steps for me. First, they called to set up the initial phone interview. The person on the phone asked me about my study abroad stuff and how I could help the company. Then, another person joined to chat in Spanish because it's a Spanish-speaking role. After that, we kept talking in English. It was about 15 minutes total. They emailed to say I passed the first part and wanted to do a Skype interview, which they called an 'in person' interview since I wasn't local. That lasted about 30 minutes, and they asked about potential problems I might face in the job and how I'd solve them. I felt I did great, but unfortunately, I didn't get the job.

I had an initial interview that went well, it was pretty relaxed and informal. They asked basic questions about my study abroad experience. Then, I didn't hear back for three weeks. I tried to follow up with the interviewer and the next person. I got an email saying I wasn't selected. Weirdly, about a week later, they contacted me for a second interview, without mentioning the rejection. I went to the second interview, and it seemed to be going okay. I asked about career growth. Here's where it got odd. ISA is mostly based in Spain, so most employees speak Spanish. The job needed another language, and I'm conversational in Spanish, which is on my resume. But the interviewer seemed to think it wasn't enough, and implied that to advance, I really needed to know Spanish. This made the conversation awkward, especially since I have a Master's degree, and felt like I might not be good enough just because Spanish wasn't my primary language. The whole process dragged on and ended up being quite uncomfortable. Oh, and in the first interview, they did mention I'd likely have to work a lot of overtime, so keep that in mind.

I applied on a Wednesday night and got an email the next morning from the Exec Assist to set up an interview. I interviewed via Skype that same day and then moved on to a second and third phone call with the managers. They asked typical questions like where I studied abroad and why I wanted to work for ISA. Since I had prior industry experience, the focus was more on why I wanted to move into this specific role.

I sent in my application online and didn't hear back for a couple of weeks. Then, the HR manager gave me a call for a phone interview. A few days later, I had a Skype interview. I felt pretty good about both interviews, but unfortunately, I didn't get the job in the end. They didn't really ask me job-specific questions, but focused more on my past experiences, like when I studied abroad, and what I knew about the company.