Milken Institute Associate Interview Questions
& Process

I had an initial 30-minute screening call over Teams. After that, I had back-to-back 30-45 minute interviews in person at the Milken Institute's DC office. The first call was pretty standard – they talked about the team's research, and we discussed my skills and experience. I was contacted two weeks later to schedule more interviews. Both in-person interviews were with different team members. Most interviewers were nice and asked good questions, but one senior person was really rude and kept interrupting me, even when they weren't asking the question. I'm not sure if it was a test or if they're just arrogant, but they commented on my eye contact, which was weird. They were unprofessional, and their interruptions really threw me off. I heard back two weeks later and didn't get the role. I expected better from a place like the Milken Institute. I probably won't apply there again.

After an initial screening, I was ghosted by the company, which I didn't bother following up on. My main feedback is that companies shouldn't ghost candidates and should at least send an email if they're not moving forward. The interview itself felt really off. What was supposed to be a 'screening' wasn't even with HR, but with two people who seemed to be part of the hiring team. They immediately told me the interview would be 25 minutes instead of the scheduled 30 because they were 'busy,' which, while not a huge deal, made me feel rushed. When it was my turn to ask questions, I asked about something that Milken clearly does in their work, and one interviewer responded, 'we don't do that but I'll let [the other interviewer] answer.' It was bizarre from beginning to end. I've never not made it past a screening before, but this wasn't a typical screening. If it was meant to be a screening, why only give a candidate 25 minutes?

The whole thing took about 6 weeks. It was pretty standard, with interviews from your direct supervisor, then the head of the department, and finally, one of the leadership team. After you get through 3 rounds of interviews, the HR team will call you with the final decision. Something to note is that the initial contact came from someone on the actual hiring team, not from a recruiter or an outside recruitment company.