Uncommon Schools Manager Interview Questions
& Process

This interview process was really long and took up a lot of time. It started with me recording video answers to some standard HR questions, which took about 30-45 minutes. Then, I had to do a pretty big performance task that lasted at least 2 hours, maybe longer. After that, I was set up for an 'Immersion Day' with three interviews and had to complete more tasks beforehand, which probably took another 60-90 minutes. The weird part is I hadn't even spoken to anyone directly yet, just communicated with the recruiter by email. On the actual interview day, the interviewers seemed really disengaged and like they were just going through the motions. The job was reposted with a lower title the following week, which made me feel like it was all a big waste of my time.

The whole thing took about 6 weeks. I applied on their website and got a call a week later for a phone chat. Turns out the job I applied for was already taken by someone internal, but they asked if I'd be up for interviewing for an Office Manager or Special Projects Coordinator role instead. I didn't find out the original position was closed until I was already on the phone with the HR person. She was really nice and professional, asked a mix of personal and work stuff, and made me feel comfortable. She then invited me for an 'immersion day' the next week, where I was one of six people. Normally you get to see 'Morning Circle' during this day, but I didn't. I had to do 3 tasks: write a parent note, plan out an event process, rank tasks by importance, and do something in Excel. Then, 3 school leaders talked with me about my event plan and task list, asking why I made those choices. After that, I interviewed with those same 3 leaders, and they asked stuff similar to the phone chat. I also did a practice phone call and they went over the parent note I wrote. I got offered the job a week after the immersion day. Then I met my future DOO at the campus for a final chat. About 3 days later, I got the contract and started working a week and a half after that.

I first had to do this prerecorded video interview, which felt super weird and awkward. Then, about a month later, they flew me out to New York for an in-person interview, and they covered all my travel costs. The in-person day was really long and tiring, but it was a great chance to meet everyone and get a feel for the company culture. It included an Excel test (which I bombed but still got the offer!), a task where I had to figure out priorities, and a practice session writing a sign-up sheet for parent-teacher conferences.