Western Governors University Interview Questions
& Process

I applied and got an email to interview. I think the interview went okay, but I messed up by mentioning my disability. Shortly after, I got rejected and they banned me from applying for that role again. It's been 2 years, and every time I try to reapply, it says they already have my application. They blacklisted me because of my disability. My advice to anyone applying to WGU is to not mention any disabilities upfront, as you'll be disqualified forever. I'm proof. Don't trust WGU's claims about being an equal opportunity employer that doesn't discriminate based on disabilities; it's not true.

I applied online and got a referral. The recruiter contacted me via email to set up the first interview. Even though she knew my location, she scheduled it for the wrong time zone and then ignored me for a week because she was 'at a conference.' Seriously, who doesn't answer emails when they're traveling for work? The actual interview was awful. The hiring manager wasn't even paying attention; at one point, I mentioned a personality type, and she took the assessment while I was answering another question, then blurted out her results. I was ghosted again, and when I followed up with the recruiter weeks later, she lied and said she'd already told me I wasn't moving forward. I didn't even get the supposed rejection email until over a week later. To top it off, I was way overqualified, with over 10 years of experience when they only required 3, and I was willing to take a pay cut. The whole thing was so unprofessional, it was ridiculous.

I had a recruiter call, then two zoom interviews, and I thought there'd be one more before an offer. The first call was with the recruiter – quick and painless. The second interview was with the program manager, and it was technical and a bit stressful, felt like an oral exam with lots of detailed questions, but I guess that's how they check skills and fit. The third interview was with another department's manager, someone I wouldn't report to. She said the other manager sent me over, and she just asked some basic questions. It was supposed to be 30 minutes but only took 15. I asked her about research expectations and the team dynamics, and it sounded like they were still figuring things out, kind of like a startup. I was expecting a final interview or an offer after that, as it felt like an inter-departmental intro, but a few days later I got a rejection email. I asked for feedback but didn't get a response. The pay and working conditions sounded good, but the interview process was definitely interesting and unexpected.

In a time when interviews can be long, have bad communication, or use AI, the WGU interview process was clear, easy, and efficient. Chet Hayes, my Talent Acquisition Partner, was a great help from start to finish. He first emailed me, then tried calling for interview #1, but when calls didn't go through, he emailed back kindly and offered to reschedule. When I called him back, we joked about the tech issues and then had a 30+ minute interview. It was a good chat, and Chet really gave me a sense of WGU, making me eager to continue. He quickly set up interview #2 for me. After that, he apologized for a slight delay due to many applicants before we scheduled interview #3 (Technology issues happened again with our calls, and we laughed!). Chet was open to connecting on LinkedIn and adding his number to my phone to try and fix our tech problems... and he's been so helpful and clear every step of the way. I'm so thankful to have worked with him and hope to be his colleague soon! - note this was written before interview 3, so the offer status is unknown.