The HistoryMakers Interview Questions
& Process

I've applied for this role a few times now, and it looks like they need someone pretty often. Applying through LinkedIn didn't get me anywhere, but emailing them directly resulted in a super quick reply from Julieanna Richardson. She asked me to answer five questions and complete a typing test, then send in a screenshot of my results. After that, though, I was left in the dark – my follow-up email also got ignored. From what others have said, this seems to be how they do things: ask for a lot, then ghost you.

Before even getting a chance to interview, I got a big list of questions and 11 attachments with tests and manuals, over a hundred pages total. I had to do these tests, which was the first sign something was off. It took me over 4 hours to finish them and send them back to the ED and chief of staff. I heard nothing for weeks. Then, when I finally set a virtual interview time, the chief of staff told me another time would be better, even though she set the original time. The interview itself was super weird, just like others have said. The ED started by asking me to tell my whole life story. She kept saying she wasn't sure why I applied with a Master's degree and kept interrupting me when I tried to answer questions that weren't even related to the job. At one point, the ED started eating on camera. It was a total red flag. Honestly, even if they offered me the job, I wouldn't take it after seeing how the staff is treated. It's a shame because this organization could do a lot, but they'd rather exploit their employees. Maybe a union could help.

I applied with a cover letter and resume. They then sent me 11 questions to answer. After that, they gave me a segmenting test to check my ability to parse interviews. I then had an in-person interview, followed by an invitation for a paid test week. I declined the test week as the role wasn't a good fit, although the people were great.

I started by talking to a recruiter, which was great. Then I met the CEO, who was really unprofessional. We had a video call, then I did some tests (typing, excel, writing) which were easy. After that, I flew out to spend a day at the office with her. I got there on time but had to wait outside her office. She eventually arrived, upset about mistakes her team made. She complained about an employee and asked if I wanted to stay while she talked to him, which I declined. When I came back, she was still talking about his performance. The staff seemed really quiet and scared of her. She would mock them after they left her office. During lunch, she called a Zoom meeting to criticize the team's work, calling their performance unacceptable due to data entry issues. She insisted one person re-enter data twice even though it's double work. She said this happens regularly and that she doesn't know about many mistakes because no one is checking. She also mentioned she's not good at or doesn't enjoy managing people and won't be training anyone. Onboarding is just reading manuals. Her management style is daily to-do lists. She thinks her team is unmotivated and has no "stars," defining a star as someone who never says no. She kept repeating questions to me in a dismissive way, asking if I'd run an organization before, if I could do work outside development, why I wasn't staying in development, what I did in my last job, and how she'd know I could do the work. She also questioned my doctorate, saying it's impossible to do while in the role and asking why I wanted one, despite my commitment to learning. She brought this up again at the end, and I explained I'm used to balancing priorities due to working multiple jobs. She wasn't satisfied. When asked about my concerns, I mentioned uncertainty about fitting her profile based on her questions. She got defensive, saying "Not everyone can do the things that they think they can do." She still offered me the role but then criticized my background, saying nothing made her believe I could do it, which was weird after all the interviews and assessments. The role is now reposted as VP of Ops. She openly admitted she doesn't know the company's spend rate, is 11 months behind on grant reporting, and isn't providing oversight. The organization's mission and archives suffer because of this. I respect the mission, but leaders deserve dignity and respect.