National University Interview Questions
& Process

I applied in late November and heard back from a recruiter in the first week of December, about three weeks later. The recruiter mentioned both an Advisor and a Counselor position, but I was only scheduled for the Advisor interview. The interview itself was just okay. I received an email with multiple contacts, but only spoke with one person. They were nice, but the questions felt too broad and generalized, making it hard to answer. The interviewer kept asking for very specific, concrete details, which felt like an interrogation and not relevant to the actual job duties. This is for a basic, low-paying entry-level customer service job that requires weeks of training, despite the educational requirements and experience they ask for. I'm technically overqualified and have relevant experience, but they denied me. They claimed they were urgently hiring for next year with several openings, but then seemed to be looking for unattainable candidates given the low pay. The job wasn't listed as 'Evergreen,' but the interview was for an 'Evergreen' role, suggesting high turnover or resume collection. I was told I'd hear back personally for an update, but only received a standard Workday email, indicating inconsistency.

I first applied for the Enrollment Advisor job, but the initial interviewer thought I'd be a good fit for the Academic and Finance Advisor role too, and I felt confident about it. However, the Associate Director was really difficult and made it a waste of my time. She was judgmental and condescending, like a snobbish school girl. When I asked why I wasn't chosen, she said it was because of my decision-making and lack of initiation. She didn't ask me about any of this during the interview, just made negative assumptions without knowing me or seeing me work. Maybe my Management degree and Decision-Making course were an issue for her. It seems like she was recently promoted and felt threatened by my experience and education. It’s all about who you know, I guess. I’m done with this university and don't even want the other position anymore. Don’t call me. Good luck everyone, and keep your self-respect.

The interview process had three stages: first, a phone screener with the recruiter, then a one-on-one discussion with the hiring manager, and finally a panel interview with some team members. The hiring manager was a bit late and had trouble with Teams. The panel interview involved typical questions about my past experiences and how I'd tackle problems. One thing that seemed a bit off was that the recruiter said it was an urgent hire, but the interviews were spread out over a few weeks.

First, I had a call with an HR staff member that went for about 30 minutes. Then, I had a second screening call with the director, which was longer, around an hour. The director was friendly and asked a lot of thorough questions.