Philadelphia Zoo Interview Questions
& Process

I had a screening interview and then a first-round 1-on-1. Both felt pretty relaxed, friendly, and informal. Communication about the next steps was a bit slow at times, and I had to chase them up to find out I wouldn't be moving forward.

The whole process was done remotely via teams/zoom. The initial two interviews were pretty straightforward. A bit of a warning sign came up when I inquired about hybrid work and they stated they have a policy that if not all positions can work from home, then no one can, which seems a bit outdated. The third interview had an odd atmosphere from the get-go, almost as if the interviewers weren't enthusiastic about conducting it. They asked very few questions, and the ones they did ask were surprisingly basic for a final-round interview. My impression is they likely had another candidate in mind and were just going through the motions with my interview as a formality. It's fine, but it felt like a waste of time for everyone. Also, it was strange that diversity & inclusion wasn't mentioned at all, especially for a cultural institution in 2022. It just wasn't the right fit for me for several reasons, and that's okay. I found a better opportunity, and I'm sure they did too.

So I applied online and then got a call to come in for a 1:1 interview. I met with this really nice lady and she asked me basic stuff about my customer service background and my last job. We looked over my resume and I gave her my references. When we talked about availability, I told her I could work anytime except Friday nights and Saturdays until 3pm because of classes. Turns out, those were key times they needed someone, so that's where the application stopped. Still, it was a really comfortable interview experience.

It was a very relaxed interview since I was an internal candidate. They focused on behavioral and personality questions to make sure I understood the role and its place in the organization. They also tested attention to detail by having other employees complete a list of instructions, with the final instruction being to ignore all previous ones. The goal was to see if candidates could follow directions precisely and if they would align with the team's values and objectives.