NWEA Interview Questions
& Process

I had an initial call with HR, then a panel interview with other program managers, followed by a panel interview with the hiring managers, and a final interview with the VP. The whole thing took about 4 weeks. During the process, I found out they were acquired by HMH. They offered me the job over the phone, but since they were acquired, I asked to see the offer in writing. I didn't hear back after that, and I was about to give my current employer notice, but then I called and emailed. I finally heard back and they told me the offer was rescinded and they'd moved on to another candidate. It's wild that they extended multiple offers but had no communication.

Started with a recruiter call to go over my background and ask some basic questions. Then we did some scenario run-throughs and 'how would you handle...' questions. After that, I had a virtual interview with the hiring manager. This involved more questions about my experience and background, along with some situational walk-throughs and mock days.

The online application was kinda weird, like they didn't set up their Oracle HR tool right and put up messages telling you how to not mess up instead of making it easy to use. It felt unprofessional. Scheduling the interview felt like applying for a government job, super secretive about how to get in touch with anyone, even for thank you notes. They were not helpful and even gave bad info when I asked basic questions. I thought the first interview would be short, like 30-45 mins. It was scheduled over lunch, which was inconvenient, but I went with it. The email said I'd meet with managers and team members for about an hour. When I got there, we started 15 mins late. Three people greeted me and started asking questions. They were nice but didn't seem like hiring managers and seemed new to their roles. They took super detailed notes, making it feel more like a behavioral study than a job interview. After their questions, which took nearly an hour, they asked if I had questions. I asked how long they'd worked there, their positions, and if they liked it. I was surprised to find they were all recently hired, and no actual managers were there. I thought that was it since it had been over an hour and I was worried about my parking. But nope, there was another part. They asked if I'd do a 'performance test' to show my skills. I'm okay with that, but usually, I'd know what skills they're testing and what tools I'd use, and I'd usually do it before the interview started. Still, I agreed even though I was running out of parking time and needed to get back to my actual job. I went into a room alone, read the instructions, and the lights went out. I found the switch and turned them back on. I started the application, and the program froze. I restarted it, and one of the interviewers came back. I told them about the lights and the computer issues. They looked disappointed. I rushed to finish the test, and the lights went out again. After an hour and a half, I told them the technical issues affected my performance and I had to leave. I offered to come back another day to redo it. I gave them what I finished and left, only to find a parking ticket. I sent a thank you email, but I never heard back, so maybe I dodged a bullet.

The recruiter did a basic screening, and it felt like she was just reading off a list. I thought it would be more of a natural chat, and honestly, it didn't seem like she knew my resume or portfolio, let alone anything about design. She said she'd get back to me within two days because they didn't want to miss out on good people. But then, radio silence for over a week, until I got an automated email saying they'd hired someone else.