Northwestern University Program Assistant II interview questions

Applied to a position in In Alumni Relations & Development as a recent NU graduate with several internship and work experiences during undergrad with cover letter and resume, got a phone interview with HR probably two weeks later (I remember it not be immediately). HR person was really kind and sweet. Moved on to next round of in-person interviews with I believe 5-6 different people (about 20-30 minutes each one after the other, not a panel) in about 2.5 hours. Then was invited for another round with I believe 4 different people which lasted maybe 1.5 to 2 hours. Younger/entry level staff were also really sweet and encouraging, but the senior staff were very stiff, hesitant and quite rude to some extent. Most used a standard template of interview questions. The questions were not hard and didn't catch me off guard but I was exhausted towards the end of each round having to present myself all over again several times. Again, it was the entry level staff that opened up the conversation that was more personable and organic, others were cold. Regardless, I am glad that I got to meet with most of the team as I did learn a lot about their dynamic, work style, culture, and how they operated as a team. I am thankful for that learning opportunity. After the second round of interviews, I was asked to complete the IBM Kenexa excel assessment (not too difficult if you study with youtube, though the exam's interface was not at all easy to navigate and sucked up a lot of my time, took me an hour instead of the recommended 30 minutes). In addition to that, I was asked to submit 5 references. The whole process probably lasted a month to a month and a half from application submission to decision. I was not offered the position and learned from my own search that another recent graduate was hired instead. I was not working at the time but I can't imagine have been working full time and having to dedicate so much time to this process for a position that was offering only $19.50 in the description. I am more so upset that the process was so intensive that it required three rounds of interviews, 1 assessment, and 5 references, just to not receive any kind of feedback. I am not at all suggesting I am entitled to the position because I know there are many well-qualified and exceptional candidates applying to these positions. Yet, some courtesy and understanding to the amount of time and effort dedicated to the process would have been appreciated from the hiring manager. However, I was surprised that the HR person assigned to me still was sending other job openings my way even after I was rejected. I was very appreciative of that. I ended up applying to the temporary pool and got a part time position through there which was a much quicker and easier process, not at all as intensive. Overall, though it was not at all a positive experience, it wasn't the worst. Even reflecting during the process and after, I do not think I would have liked working in that specific department because I don't think my personality and values would have fit their "uppity" attitude if I am being honest.

I was brought back on three separate occasions over three weeks to interview with faculty members that decided they wanted to be involved in the hiring process. I got the sense that they had a candidate at my third and final interview with three members from the Astronomy and Physics department because of a lack of interest and questions regarding my relevant work experience and education. I later found out the next week that they had chose a candidate that one of the interviewees knew personally. I felt they lacked professionalism in dragging the process out which resulted in my loss of two days PTO.