Scholastic Interview Questions & Reviews

Interviewed May 2007 in Prince, NY (took a day)

The referring employee notified me that a position had opened up and that I should apply. The such employee passed my resume onto the manager-to-be who called me within a day. He kindly (I note kindly since it was a relaxing kind of approach, not the typical, arrogant boss for sure) introduced himself, explained his impressions about my credentials, re-stated interest, and noted he was free to interview at anytime I so chose. I chose the following day just before the lunch hour and he accepted. He told me the security details, details about finding the office, some personal tips, and wished me a good day. His graciousness was remarkable which I understood to be part of the company culture as expected and helped to remove the stress which impairs a good interview.

The next day after arriving at the office, the interview itself consisted of 4 parts: my personal statement, resume review, a (brief) skills test, and lastly a fuller job description. The personal statement was mostly values and skills which I thought were relevant for him to know. Thankfully, my personal emphasis on work-life balance, proper ethics, respect for employees (a contentious definition for many employers so I just stated mine and hoped it was appropriate; thankfully it was), and allowing space for creativity without burning out. I stated my personal goal which is unsurprising: to have a lengthy career with a stable environment which fostered development and innovation. Next, the resume review was the lengthiest part with a detailed line-by-line discussion which was good since every previous position has a meaningful contribution to my skills now, even if they were in unrelated fields. Next, the manager asked me to do a small technical assignment which later became the basis of my later first assignment. It was a minor task though I also got to meet those who would later become my immediate coworkers and teammates. The task was easy, speaking only for myself, and I found it to confirm I had indeed sought the right position. Lastly, the manager noted he could now further describe the position in deeper detail upon seeing I was indeed very interested and suitable. He noted the position's initial boundaries due to immediate business needs and various projects' needs and other such business-driven constraints. This information was very helpful for my later work and would aide me for years yet.

The manager used a company-issued form which he had to fill during the interview. The tone was civil which I attribute a bit more to him personally than the company culture which, I must note, is far more civil and polite and respectful than that of many other employers. It is worth noting that personal ethics and ambitions matter more here than at many other organizations in additional to the usual emphasis on skill and talents. As always, the ability to do team-based work is important but not in the usual way that adds overhead and complexity but to even be personally amiable with coworkers. As I have come to see, many employees here quickly become personal friends, a pleasurable trait which the interview process definitely helps by citing those who have a good heart with the company ultimate goal: educating children. I found the interview nearly stress-less due to all the aforestated reasons and reaffirming for its confirming my ethos and personalities matched, a feeling which I can say I have neither had elsewhere nor do I expect to see again anytime soon.