UCLA Extension Interview Questions
& Process

I had a panel interview with 5 senior staff and student workers. It was a round robin style. One of the questions was "What does this ___ acronym stand for?" I had never heard of it so I replied "I don't know, but I can research and find out." One of the students burst out laughing and then covered her mouth in shock. The Lead Interviewer was then incredibly rude and condescending, answering the question as if everyone should know this term. After this terrible experience, I conducted my due diligence and asked about 10 of my Recruiter colleagues if they knew the answer, and NONE OF THEM HAD EVEN HEARD OF IT BEFORE. Lame. Really negative candidate experience that left a bad taste in my mouth all these years.

First, I was contacted by a recruiter to schedule a phone interview for the next week. This 30-minute call was with the Director and Manager, and it covered basic questions about my resume, experiences, and skills. A few days later, I was invited for an in-person interview. This part was a panel interview with four people. It felt very impersonal, like a question-and-answer session with little conversation. The four interviewers took turns asking questions from a list, which were standard interview questions you can find anywhere. At the end, I was given the opportunity to ask them questions. The whole in-person interview lasted about an hour and had a very institutional feel. My impression was that the phone interview confirmed I could do the job since it involved people from the department I would be working in, but the in-person interview seemed more about whether I was 'good enough to join the club,' especially since three of the four interviewers were from other departments.

The person leading the program I interviewed with really knew her stuff in the subject area I applied for. It was a really good interview, and we totally clicked. Since my teaching field is pretty specific, we had a really easy conversation. It was obvious that anyone interviewing for this job who didn't truly know the field with years of experience wouldn't get through. I do feel for her and the program's staff because they seem under-staffed, under-funded, and overwhelmed. This subject has so many different areas, and it's a lot for just a few people without extensive experience to handle.

I was taken into the mini-library for the interview. They asked me pretty basic questions that were mostly from my resume. For example, they picked a couple of jobs I had and asked what I did and how it would help UCLA Extension. The interviewer was really nice, and so were the other people there. Don't be intimidated, just go in with confidence and know how you can help the team!