National Audubon Society Interview Questions
& Process

It was a pretty standard interview process. First, there was an HR screening phone call with a recruiter, but be ready for it 'cause it was more detailed than ones I've had before. Then, I had a 1-on-1 with the hiring manager. Finally, there was a panel interview. I'd suggest going in with practical ideas for the job you're interviewing for.

So I went through seven interviews, plus three exercises and a personality test for a job that doesn't even pay $100K... The whole thing took almost two months. They kept adding more steps as we went, and honestly, the questions they asked weren't always that relevant. It ended up in a rejection, and the feedback they gave didn't make much sense. They said they needed someone more supportive, which is something I specifically highlighted on my resume and talked about in the interviews. My previous bosses would have told them I'm super supportive if they'd bothered to check. I wish I'd gotten more useful feedback. The HR person was great, though. They worked around my weird schedule and were always nice to talk to. My advice: 1. Make the interview process fit the salary. 2. Don't change the process mid-way, it seems unfair. 3. If you're going to make people do multiple exercises, which I think you should cut entirely, at least pay them for their time. 4. Ditch the personality assessment; they're unreliable.

The hiring process felt a bit much for the role, which seemed to be more entry-level despite the 'Senior Associate' title. There were three rounds total. The final round included a short presentation. The first two interviews were super quick and informal, almost like they just wanted to move me along. The final interview questions were all about leadership and how I'd handle DEI, which was weird since the job description sounded like a field scientist role with no management duties. They barely asked about my actual experience for the job. I know the panel personally, but after the final round, I was ghosted for a month before getting rejected. They suggested I apply for another role, which I did, but never heard back. A friend who also applied was ghosted after two rounds. The whole experience lacked professionalism and clear communication.

Heads up to anyone considering working at Audubon - their HR system is super disorganized, which makes me question if I'd want to work there. The HR person I chatted with for my interview didn't really know the role, forgot my location, and seemed a bit all over the place. I'm not sure how well they passed my answers to the hiring manager, since they said my responses were great, but I didn't get a second interview.