United Way Interview Questions
& Process

The interview process finished in under a month. I got an invite for an HR interview on October 6th and heard back with a rejection after the final interview on November 6th. Though it was quick, the whole thing felt cold and abrupt. I didn't know who I was meeting with for the last two interviews, and the final one felt really rushed. People in the office were also kind of cold and not very friendly. Nobody really explained who was who, and the job descriptions were unclear. I also never got a reply to a follow-up email, just a brief, impersonal rejection after I'd gone through the whole process. Overall, it was a pretty meh experience.

There was a long wait between the next steps, which is pretty common in this industry. The hiring manager did try to keep me updated on the progress, which I appreciated. But, that person doesn't work there anymore. Because the hiring process isn't really uniform or structured across the company, I saw a lot of good candidates for other jobs give up because it took too long.

I had an initial interview with the HR Director, who asked some really specific questions about how I handle leadership situations. These questions felt unusual for a first interview, which prompted me to ask others in the field why. Apparently, the CEO is known to be difficult, and the HR director was assessing my compatibility with handling such a leader. I advanced to the next stage and after meeting the CEO, I was relieved to have some context. The red flags were very apparent. During my interview, she spoke negatively about her staff, and a quick look at turnover rates showed most of the staff were new hires. I left the interview knowing this wasn't the right fit for me.

I applied online for the Program Monitor role and the whole process took about 3 weeks. The first two interviews were pretty easy and went well. I really liked the team I would have been working with. Then I got called for a final interview with the VP, which is where things went south. She didn't even introduce herself and immediately said the main thing they needed was someone from NYC or who had worked there before, which wasn't in the job description. I'd even confirmed in earlier interviews that my lack of NYC experience wouldn't be an issue since I was moving from out of state. She asked about my experience in these communities. I was kind of blindsided hearing this was a requirement for the first time in the final round. I explained how I'd successfully moved to a big city for a new job before. Then she asked about another skill she felt was super important, again something new to me. I answered professionally, highlighting my skills. Then she just said none of my resume experience was relevant, even though I was doing a similar job for almost 5 years at another organization, and cut the interview short, like under 8 minutes. I didn't get to explain myself or why I'd be a good fit. I followed up with HR but never heard back. It was a really negative experience, especially with their diversity mission. It's a shame when leadership isn't aligned with their teams, especially for a reputable agency like United Way.