USAA Interview Questions
& Process

Had a standard phone screen with HR. They asked some basic questions about change management stuff. Then they asked for my salary expectations. When I told them my desired salary, they said it was much higher than what they were offering, even though it was within the range mentioned in the job ad.

It starts with a 3 question online assessment. These are Leetcode style, 3 easy questions. If you pass the OA, you get to schedule a phone screen. It's very basic, the recruiter asks questions like "Why USAA?", "What are you looking to get out of this internship", and basic questions about your visa status. From there, you schedule a final round. The final round is behavioral and technical with two interviewers. However, the technical part is NOT leetcode based. I was shown classes in Java and asked where they could be improved. Behaviorals are pretty standard, with an emphasis on presentations.

So I interviewed with USAA and it was kind of a letdown because the process wasn't clear at all. The recruiter didn't really know the hiring steps and couldn't answer simple questions about when things would happen, what they wanted, or what came next. It left me feeling confused and unsure. There wasn't any clear communication, and I often had no idea what to expect. I did email the recruiter, but I didn't get a reply for 3 weeks, and then it was just the rejection email. I was hoping for a more organized and straightforward process, especially from someone in recruiting.

I applied for multiple jobs in corporate affairs and risk management and got some referrals. The interview process was super slow. USAA, like many companies, doesn't seem to care about the candidate experience, whether you're leaving a toxic job, underpaid, unemployed, or facing workforce reductions. They were really slow to respond; I had several phone screenings over 40 days after applying. I applied for jobs in late May and early June, and about four more in June, with two referrals. The recruiter said they'd hire by July 4th and gave dates for updates and offers, but they were always delayed. I constantly had to chase the recruiter or my referrers for updates. I had two phone screens in June and one in July with the same recruiter, who I had to ask for the promised June updates. A formal interview with the hiring manager happened in July. The recruiter then gave July dates for the next/final interviews and offers, which also didn't happen. My last interview was a panel interview in August, and again, the recruiter's dates were off. Despite applying and being referred for several positions, I didn't get any. I served 15 years in the Navy and assumed USAA, being a military-focused company, would treat a veteran, especially a Black male veteran in corporate affairs, much better. I have 15 years of military and corporate experience in this field, plus referrals and a PhD, but the candidate experience was poor. USAA appears to be like most companies that don't prioritize candidate experience or diversity. Because of this, I won't apply to them again or use my VA benefits with them. I advise people of color not to apply or use military benefits with USAA, given their apparent lack of focus on hiring diverse talent.