1 initial Skype interview with HR, 2nd interview with education team, sample tasks to complete. The interview process happened quickly. The questions themselves weren’t difficult to answer, but I did feel rushed. The interviewer appeared to be on her couch in pajamas and it was clear she hadn’t read my materials. She seemed surprised when I mentioned my admissions experience, despite this being an entire subheading of my cover letter. She also made a comment about me being an “older” candidate (I’m 30!) which I found unprofessional if not illegal. They were very interested in which big name institutions I was affiliated with, particularly in the initial interview. This did not leave me with a favorable impression, especially as compared to the very positive and engaging conversations focusing on coaching and student development I had interviewing with one of their competitors. On the positive side, they did follow up with me in a timely manner to let me know I did not receive an offer. I appreciate them closing the loop, as many employers do not bother to contact unsuccessful applicants. Overall I expect a bit more professionalism in the interview process, but perhaps it’s because I’m an old fogey :)

This is a review for all job applicants who carefully craft their resumes and cover letters to prospective employers and hear…crickets chirping. When a company actively solicits prospects and posts an open position, they should have the common courtesy to reply back to those who respond, whether they are proceeding with their application or not. If a candidate is not right for the advertised position, it takes mere seconds to copy and paste a stock message. I have received some rejection letters that left me with quite a positive impression of a company, which is what businesses should strive for across the board. There are also automated services that can at least take care of acknowledgement of receipt if nothing else. This is a common tactic from small startups to large corporations who have anywhere from a hundred to a thousand applicants, so there is no justification for any business to not be able to respond to resume submissions. That message can include a catch-all such as, “Due to such a high volume of response, we will not be able to personally contact all job applicants. If you do not receive further communication within XXXX time, please know that we value your submission, but you have not been chosen to proceed further.” Having said all of that, it has been fairly rare for me to encounter no reply at all after a job application. InGenius Prep frankly surprised me. I applied for an Interview with InGenius Prep as an Admissions Counselor on January 11. The job post asked that resumes be sent directly to the CEO. To me, it was a sign that he wanted to personally and carefully select the best fit for his team. As a CEO holds various other duties, I figured that it would take at least a few weeks to hear anything back (although I admit I did expect an automatic acknowledgement of application receipt). After 2.5 weeks, I reached out to reiterate my strong interest in the position. It’s been over a month later and I’ve acknowledged that silence is the only response I’ll be receiving. It’s disappointing because InGenius Prep’s business relies heavily on communication. The information on their company website implies that they hold human interaction to a high standard, which is what particularly drew me to them. Unfortunately that just doesn’t seem like a consistently held belief.