U.S. PIRG General Intern Interview Questions
& Process

So you start by doing the online application, and then they hit you with a questionnaire with extra questions and essays (like, where you see yourself in 15 years, what your educational goals are, etc.). After that, there's a quick 30-minute phone interview. Then comes the second interview, which is what I'm writing about. This one is an hour long, but like, half of it is them explaining PIRG's values and mission. The other half is just regular situational questions. I actually haven't heard back yet, so I chose the button for not getting an offer, but who knows.

I was contacted multiple times by Work for Progress about the U S PIRG Fellow position. It seemed like they were really interested in hiring good people for this important work. I even interviewed with a State Advocate for the PIRG Fellow role and Recruiting Directors at WFP for a Campus Organizer position. Both interviews seemed to go well based on the feedback. I was then told my application would go to the Chicago field office for further assessment and potential placement. However, I never heard back after sending three emails and making many calls to WFP and the interviewer. This is unprofessional. They also told me I wasn't a fit for the Campus Organizer role but wanted me for a field position, which seemed confusing. The whole process didn't make much sense. I feel they might prefer less experienced, easily influenced young people over passionate professionals, targeting those fresh out of school for low pay and long hours, who may just want to pad their resumes. I'm still getting the runaround trying to follow up, reinforcing my belief that this organization, despite its mission, has a terrible recruitment process and can't distinguish dedicated individuals from those seeking quick money. It's a poorly organized and unprofessional experience. I'm passing on this opportunity due to the unprofessionalism, lack of follow-up, and disorganization in their hiring. Other organizations would value good talent.

I got the interview through my college. It began with a one-on-one interview that was mostly basic behavioral questions like why you want to work for PIRG and what you take pride in. If you passed that, you then went to a group interview at their office in D.C. The group interview took a long time and I lost interest during it because the people were odd and the senior U.S. PIRG fellow was rude and arrogant. Also, the pay is terrible and the weekly hours are insane. If you're passionate about public interest, go for it, but otherwise, avoid it.