Teach for America Associate Interview Questions
& Process

I applied online in mid-April and after about four weeks in May, I was sent an assignment instead of the usual phone screen or first round interview. I finished the assignment on time, even getting a friend who's a Development Consultant to review it. I put several hours into it, although the instructions suggested not to spend more than 1.5 hours. I later emailed asking about my status and future interviews and about a week after that, received a generic email stating they had moved on with other candidates. I then emailed the manager to see if I could get some feedback on my assignment to help with future development assignment interviews, which is pretty common. She agreed and said the assignment was 'really thoughtful' and we could chat on the phone the next morning. The following afternoon, I called her to ask if she had a minute to discuss my assignment. She said yes, so I asked a few questions like, 'What are you looking for in completion of the assignment?', 'What did you think I could have done better in the assignment?', and 'What did others do which was more competitive for this assignment?'. She gave me absolutely no feedback, just repeating that it was 'very thoughtful' but no specific positive or constructive points. I'm unsure why she agreed to talk if she had no opinion to share, even with the assignment in front of her. I didn't schedule the call, so maybe she was caught off guard, but it was an awkward interaction overall, suggesting the TFA process for selecting development candidates isn't thorough or transparent, or possibly both. Because of this, I'd be hesitant to apply for a position in that department or with TFA again.

Had a phone call with HR first, then directly had phone interviews with the manager and the Executive Director. There was also a skills based activity related to development work that included a writing activity and research activity. Everything went smoothly and the whole process took about 1 month. It was really important that they understood the core values and commitment to serving/volunteering in the community. They were looking to hire someone well-rounded in skills, effort, and dedication.

So first it was a 1 on 1, basically talking about behaviorals and my interest in education policies and issues. Then there was a group interview that included a presentation. The presentation part was chill, only took about an hour or two to get ready.