The interview process with CommonHealth ACTION was incredibly frustrating and I found the communication between the organization/hiring team to be quite lacking. I applied on February 1 , knowing that applications were due by February 12. I didn't receive a confirmation email and didn't hear from the organization until March 21, when I received an invitation for a phone interview. The email I received gave very brief turnaround time to sign up for a slot for the interview, and I was told that I would hear by the end of the following week if I would be asked to come in for an in-person interview, and was told that they were reserving 2 days for the interviews. They emailed a day after they had indicated they would to say that they were postponing in-person interviews and would email within the next 1-2 weeks with next steps. They emailed at the very end of 2 weeks later to ask if I could come in for an in-person interview, again with very short turn-around time and limited options for an in-person interview. I went to the in-person interview and found it very intimidating and uncomfortable - it was a panel-style interview, so I was seated at the front of the room with the three interviewers facing me. They asked a series of questions and there was no conversation or follow-up to any of the questions - they simply noted answers and then asked the next question. At the end of the interview, I was given time to ask them questions, but the team did not seem enthusiastic about the work or the organization - I very much got the impression that they were very serious and committed to the work they do, but did not get the sense that they enjoy the actual work or team that they work with.
After the in-person interview, they told me that they were reserving April 18 for a final in-person interview, and asked if I would be available that date. I indicated that I was available, and expected to hear from them by no later than April 17 to let me know if they would like me to come in for a final interview. I didn't hear from them until I emailed them to check-in, at which time they told me that they were still interviewing and that I would hear more within 1-2 weeks.
I found it strange that they were still interviewing, since they had given the distinct impression that they were moving quickly to hire and had only given me the option of two different days for the previous interview.
I didn't hear anything back from them within the following 1-2 weeks, so I emailed them to inquire about the status of my application and received an automatic out-of-office response. On May 4 I received a generic response from the Program Assistant notifying me that they had chosen to hire someone else.
I was really disappointed in the lack of communication from the organization and the disregard for my time. They indicated that the position would require significant attention to detail and an ability to manage multiple projects with high-priority deadlines - and yet I found that their own process for hiring did not appear to reflect the standards they expected their employees to meet.