I initially applied for a summer internship at this company at a job fair at my college, then received a call from the admin asking to come in for a interview. The interview process itself was straightforward. The interviewer was polite, articulate, and professional. The questions were of the common stock, albeit modified to reflect my position (college student with no prior work experience rather than someone who has held jobs before) "What was your least favorite class and why," etc.
Then they promised to keep in touch after the interview - that they will let all interviewees know the final decision either in the evening or the following day. When that did not happen, I emailed them after about a week asking for a quick status update, and never received an answer.
It was the first job interview in my life. I had just finished my first year of college, and as my parents do not work in the corporate world, I had little idea of what to expect outside of what I read online. Although I have been told that such an experience is common among job seekers, I found it a very unprofessional and even rude way to behave, especially towards young students. It was not the missed opportunity that bothered me as much as this callous manner in which I was treated. Perhaps it was the same with all the other students who were interviewed. If an employee can be bothered to show up, surely the employer can take a minute out of their day to send a mass email to all interviewees "Sorry, you did not get the job, better luck next time." People deserve to know where they stand - should really go without saying.
Now I have a great internship at a software firm which had turned into a wonderful part-time job, going on to open many opportunities for me - including mentorships with top-level executives at Fortune 500 companies. I am still in college, but my career future is looking bright. I would never even consider a job offer from TIAA-CREF, because this interview opened much insight into how this company operates - specifically, how they treat people. As an organization that claims to be (partially) nonprofit - "for" the people, that is very troubling indeed.
