There was nothing unique or spectacular about the application process. In fact, the application process was surprisingly standard for an organization that seems so extraordinary. Applicants are required to submit a cover letter AND lengthy questionnaire. I repeated myself fairly regularly.
My phone interview was dreadfully boring (Think: How do you stay organized?). It seemed as if the interviewer had not even glanced at my application.
The second interview was equally as boring and uncomfortable. I was interviewed in a hot room, sitting across from three interviewers. None of them were at all enthusiastic or in anyway energetic. They were not very crafty with their interview questions. I think they might have downloaded a stock interview sample from the internet. They didn't do a good job of hiding their questions from me.
One interviewer repeatedly asked me about "experiences in the workplace" (i.e. with a difficult coworker, receiving feedback/criticism). If she had read my application or listed to my story, she would have known that I was a recent grad with work experience on a commercial fishing vessel. Commercial fishing and education are two very different industries. I wish I had been allowed to answer the questions with experiences from college, not the work place. That would have been more relevant.
Communication was great until the end. They promised to get back to me with a decision within a few days. They didn't, and I was considering another job offer at the time. I called over a week later but was not allowed to speak with the hiring manager. She didn't return my call. I called a second time. I was wary of how pesky I was being, but it was necessary and I was as polite as possible. Again, I was not allowed to speak with the hiring manager. At that point, I gave up. After another week, I received an email informing me that I did not get the job.
