I was lucky enough to interview at Achievement First and several other of the large charter networks in New York, and Achievement First was by far the most impressive. The professionalism, organization, and culture of excellence at Achievement First was second to none in my experience.
I applied online and was helped by two HR representatives, both of whom kept consistent communication and went out of their way to make accommodations for me knowing I was traveling from out of state. Both reps kept consistent communication via e-mail during my candidacy.
The entire hiring process from start to finish is extensive, but truly indicative of the high standards and success that Achievement First has. I started off with a phone screening to go over my experience. The HR rep provided plenty of frontloaded information for me about the organization and hiring process itself - this is a staple of Achievement First as a whole as they are big on open sharing of knowledge and best practices. I had already planned to be in New York for another interview later that month, and the HR rep was kind enough to schedule me in to meet with her in person at one of their schools. During my visit, the HR rep let me tour the school, talk to students and staff, and give me more information about the position. For me, this is where the I became truly impressed with the organization. Everything from the beautiful facilities to the professional culture of the staff was really remarkable. The school, and more importantly the people who made up the school (both students and staff) exuded a culture of high standards, high achievement, and passion for learning.
I was invited for a finalist day, where there was extensive process of a demo lesson, role playing scenarios, and panel interviews. It was a long day of around 4-5 hours with many other candidates there, but it was evident that the company invests a lot of time, resources, and personnel into making sure the finalist day is substantive for both the candidates and company.
The finalist day is what really reaffirmed for me that there is something in the water at Achievement First. I was able to meet with several principals from different Achievement First schools, HR personnel, and one of their directors. Everyone was warm, professional, and genuinely cared about matching the right candidate to the right schools in their organization. You could really get a sense that these people were genuinely invested and excited about finding other quality educators - there were no smoke and mirrors or selling, so to speak.
One thing that stuck out to me and I so appreciated was that the interviewers told me directly that they wanted to get an honest and open sense of who I am as an individual as much as an educator: this really empowered me to give a sincere expression of myself and took off that unnecessary facade of presenting who you "think" people want to see.
The consideration and attention to detail given to the hiring process from start to finish was impressive, but it was really the student and people-centered atmosphere that made them stand out.
I was given a very generous offer, but unfortunately did not accept in the end due to location (navigating New York coming from California, location really made all the difference in commute). Even still, I was just so impressed with Achievement First throughout my entire experience with them. The offer, the organization, but most importantly the individuals were generous, professional, and most of all kind. Interviewing is stressful as is, but to be traveling across the country to interview in a new city is even more daunting, but the treatment I received at Achievement First is something I remain grateful for.