TIAA Director Interview Questions
& Process

I applied online and heard back from them about 2.5 weeks later to set up an interview with a recruiter, which was a couple of days after that. The whole process, from the initial recruiter call to finding out I didn't get the job, took just under 4 months. I first spoke with the MD on the phone, and then had several more calls with peers and partners. After passing a thorough background check, they flew me out for interviews with the MD and others. My last interview was with a peer, and they said they'd call the following week about the next steps. When I didn't hear back, I called the MD weekly for the next three weeks. A month after my last interview, I finally reached out to the HR rep who informed me they weren't moving forward. I didn't receive any feedback, even after calling the MD again to ask for it. In total, I had about 8-9 interviews with around 7-8 different people, and it felt like the same interview each time. I found the process frustrating due to the drawn-out timeline and inefficiency, and the lack of feedback after waiting a month felt disrespectful, especially considering my commitment throughout the process and the travel involved. The recruiter's follow-up email was unhelpful when I inquired about another position, suggesting I review the website even after I'd already done so.

I applied online and a recruiter reached out to set up a screening call. After that, I was quickly scheduled for a panel interview, which was impressive. The panel included the department lead and two colleagues. It felt casual and conversational, and I thought it went very well. I believed I met all the requirements in the job description and could even offer more in areas like AI. However, just two days later, the recruiter informed me they decided they needed a different skill set. I was surprised and disappointed, but I appreciated the call instead of a generic rejection. Rumor has it they preferred a candidate in Texas, despite advertising multiple locations.

So the interview process started with a phone screening, then I had a phone interview with two people. About a week after that, I went in for an in-person interview with the same two people. Honestly, the whole thing was just okay. The HR person wasn't very organized, but the interviewers themselves were nice. The in-person interview felt a bit like a waste of time because it was pretty much the same as the phone interview. It felt like they were looking for free advice rather than someone to actually hire for the job.