MITRE Manager Interview Questions
& Process

I had a phone screen, then an interview with a supervisor and subordinate. The subordinate didn't talk at all. The supervisor was nice, and we had a good conversation, but they mentioned early on they didn't have funding for the job, which made the interview seem pointless.

I got contacted by a recruiter about a technical job and applied online. About a week later, I had my first phone interview. It went well, and we talked about the job and my interests. Since I have leadership experience, they also suggested I apply for a management role in a similar area. A couple of weeks after that (so 3 weeks total), I was scheduled for a video interview with 5 leaders at MITRE. I was supposed to prepare and present something about my leadership, goals, and accomplishments. But the day before, they rescheduled because not everyone could make it, which made me think they were a bit disorganized. The interview got pushed back another 2 weeks (making it 5 weeks total). I got a new invite, but they said the presentation wasn't needed anymore and the whole 45 minutes would be Q&A. I joined the call early, but it started late and felt rushed. The interview format was odd, and it seemed like the interviewers weren't very experienced. After introductions, they asked about potential challenges in the role. I answered, but they quickly switched to technical questions, even though the job description focused on leadership. For most of the 40 minutes, I got questions that didn't seem related to the job, like they were trying to trip me up. Two people asked good questions about leadership and management, but three others seemed disengaged or questioned my background. One person was clearly uninterested, closing their eyes and looking at another screen, and even interrupted with off-topic questions. They mentioned a 'concern' about needing a 'large existing network' at MITRE to coordinate projects, which they saw as a negative since I haven't worked there before. They suggested I might be better suited for a lower-level role to 'learn the organization' and build technical skills, which felt condescending. With only 5 minutes left, they asked if I had anything else to add or any questions, which felt dismissive. I asked about the daily tasks and the travel requirements, as I was told travel would be infrequent but they then said they'd want me on-site 3 days a week in McLean, which was different from the initial phone call and important to me because of my commute. They also mentioned they'd be 'monitoring' office attendance, which felt like micromanagement. After the interview, I got contacted by another department about my resume, but the whole experience left a bad impression, and I'm hesitant to continue, especially with other companies offering more modern work arrangements. Basically, I feel like I wasted 5 weeks preparing a presentation they didn't even want and going through a process where they weren't really interested in hiring me for the management role I applied for, instead steering me towards lower-level positions. They should have just been upfront about it.

Had an initial HR screening call, then a hiring manager chat, and finally a panel interview done via webcast because of Covid. It was a good interview process that let me show off my skills and ideas given the current health situation.