KIPP DC Interview Questions
& Process

It's a multistep process. First, there's a screening to check if you meet the basic requirements. Then, you'll do a performance task to see if you have the skills needed. Finally, there are panel interviews with various people to get a better understanding of you.

The process started with a 30-45 minute call that was pretty standard, sometimes using the same questions as later rounds but from a different person. Then, I got two portfolio pieces and a performance task. I had about a week or less to do them, but it took two weeks to get them graded. After that, there were three panel interviews with the team, each lasting about 45 minutes. The final interview was supposed to be to 'learn more about me,' but after two months in this whole thing, they asked if I was still interested in this line of work, confirmed if I knew the role was in-person, and asked more about my leadership. It all took a bit over two months. I wish there was better communication; if a lot of time passed between steps, it would be nice to know what was up. Some interviewers talked about how 'urgent' Kipp's work is, but the interview process didn't really show that. I got an email rejection in the end with no reply to my follow-up.

Applied online and had an initial phone screening with a recruiter. Then, I got a 90-minute situational assignment. The following week I had a 2-hour Zoom interview with leaders and team members, and I had to have my assignment ready. They asked how I thought I did on the assignment without giving feedback, which was disappointing. I was asked situational questions but didn't have enough time to ask my own. The role was supposed to support senior leaders but report to someone lower level, which seemed weird. The mission is great and people seemed friendly, but the role structure felt off. Pay was low for the support level and number of people to support. The assessment was time-consuming and unnecessary, especially since they didn't review it, which took away my excitement.

I applied for the Capital Teaching Residency Program and it was a super fast process since they reviewed applications on a rolling basis. I got a phone interview the day after I applied and had it the next day. It was pretty intense for a phone screening, but I liked how thorough they were. They invited me to the next stage on the call. The second stage involved a bunch of Performance Tasks, including a 4-minute Teaching Demo video, which felt really short for a whole lesson. I didn't get any feedback on my submitted materials, but they still invited me for my final interviews with two Recruitment Managers. These were two phone interviews back-to-back a couple of days later. At the beginning of the next week, I had another final interview with the school principal. It went great, and I felt really good about it. They said I'd hear back "pretty immediately." They also told me initially that they always let candidates know their decision, win or lose. The whole thing, all 5 interviews, took under two weeks. It's been over three weeks since my last interview, and my follow-up emails haven't gotten any replies. It's a shame because it's an amazing organization doing important work, and I really liked everyone I spoke with and thought it was my dream job. If they hadn't ghosted me after such a demanding process and lied about notifying everyone, I'd have nothing bad to say. Definitely apply, but have a backup plan.