International Rescue Committee Program Officer interview questions

For this role, I had 2 interviews and shared a portfolio. The first interview was with a member of the HR, over the phone. She scheduled a 30 minute interview, but seemed to be in a hurry to end and it lasted about 15 minutes. She seemed annoyed when I asked questions at the end as well, so I was not expecting to continue in the process after that. However, when I had my interview with the hiring manager and the director of the unit, I had an amazing experience. They asked me to provide them with portfolio examples of work I completed as this was a training development position. They were quick in communicating, but I have heard that it depends on what unit you are interviewing with. After my second interview, I got an offer in less than a week.

The interview process usually consists of two steps: an HR call, then a panel interview. I applied for many jobs internally with little to no success. During the last ~3 years or so I applied for about ~20 positions at HQ and never received an offer. It seems like you cannot break through the glass ceiling of being a field office staff.