I had four rounds of interviews. A one-way skype interview, two phone interviews, and an in-person interview. Overall the process was pretty intense, the questions were pretty standard. The in-person interview was two hours which included questions, role playing, tours, etc.

It was easy to recognize there was a very outlined script to the interview I had with the Senior Director of Team Talent. This is the part where we ask you this, this is the part where we ask you that. Even the interviewer's introduction had an easy to distinguish tempo to it, e.g. here's my professional background and here are some cute and quirky little personal details that aren't too personal. The questions were a mix of typical and atypical, and some were even a little philosophical. But if you want to work here, don't be fooled into the thinking the interview is free form, conversational, and flowing discussion. Be efficient and more formal than you think you should be. My recruiter was given feedback from the Team Talent executive that I wasn't clear or concise in my responses. I felt like she had a point, but she also could have just simply said something like, " Please feel free to share your thoughts openly, but concisely, with me." and it would have helped cue me as to what they wanted. Not every employer and work culture wants you to respond like an AI. In fact, the last nonprofit I interviewed with told me I was too brief and formal with my responses and not revealing enough. As the job seeker, it's difficult to gauge what kind of professional communication will align best for an employer. But also, if you modify your own communication style too much, do you really want to work there? One thing that I didn't appreciate was that the interviewer told my recruiter that I was indiscrete when talking about my current boss. She must have very rigid parameters of discretion because I adore my current boss and work culture and would never say anything to compromise them or their business. The only reason I am open to other opportunities is that I am eager for more compensation and challenge than what my employer can offer me in this current role. I was discussing communication styles of my past leads and I shared with the hiring manager that it took some time to see that I needed to remind my current boss that I was able to take certain projects and tasks off of his plate. He was new to having an assistant and sometimes became so absorbed in his day to day he didn't always see ways in which I could assist him more, so with time I have started to step in and say, "Let me do this." By no means is this an uncommon occurrence in being an administrative support. Nor is it indiscrete to share this aspect of working with a principal. This is discussing challenges I have had in encountering different communication styles with my leads. I think it was inappropriate for AF's hiring manager to describe me as "indiscrete" to my recruiter. It makes me look like a unsupportive and aloof employee with a big mouth. In addition, I've always thought of the conversation between a hiring manager and a job seeker as a somewhat private huddle. The hiring manager will most likely be sharing aspects of the role or company or executives that aren't shared on their website or to the public, just as the job seeker will be sharing a work history that will involve past challenges or situations from places of employment that can be sensitive. In my past I've worked for a managing consultant with a drinking problem, another that was inappropriate with female staff members, and another one that once asked me to pick up nail polish for her on my lunch break. I mean, I've been working in businesses large and small for the past 20 years. I have dirt on people. Me sharing that my boss is somewhat new to having an assistant and I've had to gently lead him to utilize all the things I can do for him is hardly scandalous. Ultimately, after reading the reviews of past employees here on Glassdoor and learning that they have struggled to fill the very role that I interviewed for, I wonder if the issue has little to do with finding the right employee and more to do with the culture and leadership at AF. If that's the case, it's too bad because the mission statements are inspiring and there couldn't be a better time in American history to support charter schools that provide quality education for underserved communities.