New America Interview Questions
& Process

Since I was living abroad, New America was super helpful and set up video interviews instead of in-person ones. It was a total of three interviews. First, there was an initial screening call with a couple of people. Then, I had a more advanced interview where they asked me to do a short communications assignment with a deadline. The last interview was with the main boss, just a quick 10-minute meet-and-greet. I got the offer that same evening.

I interviewed for two different program associate roles at New America Foundation. For the first, I knew I wasn't the most qualified, and the phone interview was just okay. They said I'd hear back in a week, but it took two weeks, then two more weeks with no response to my emails. Three months later, I saw another role I was qualified for. After applying, I got a phone interview that went well. The interviewer mentioned 3-4 one-hour interviews, said he could see us working together, and assured me we'd talk soon. Two weeks passed with no word. He emailed saying he was out of the country for a week for work but would be in touch upon return. I replied understandingly. He then asked if I'd applied for other roles in the program, which surprised me. Almost three weeks later, I emailed again. That same day, he told me the position was filled but he'd forwarded my resume internally after our phone interview. So, I was misled twice. The first interviewer ignored my emails despite promising a callback. The second at least responded, eventually saying the job was filled, but it was over a month after the interview and after he had discussed a full day of interviews. I'm passionate about their program and career field, but these two experiences have really soured my view of the organization.

Applied online via the careers page, with a referral from a friend. The first interview was a phone call with a friendly, casual interviewer, which seemed to go well. The second interview was a more formal and challenging phone call with a whole boardroom of people. They asked a lot of questions, ranging from average to difficult. I didn't hear back until months later when they informed me of my rejection.

The phone interview for this role was quite straightforward, focusing on basic questions. They did ask me to submit a writing sample during the interview, which might have been influenced by my highlighting previous writing experience. The interviewers were very friendly. An in-person interview wasn't part of the process, but this could be due to me being located out-of-state.