I applied online. I interviewed at Propeller: A Force for Social Innovation in Mar 2025
Interview
It was one of the most bizarre interview experiences I have ever had. I could barely hear the hiring manager (it sounded like they were across the room). The meeting invite stated that this was a 30-minute phone screening. This normally means a quick description of the organization and position, with a few basic questions, followed by next steps. Instead, I was asked to rate myself in every position I have ever had and detailed interview questions about my past that are normally reserved for a face-to-face interview. Following that, I was asked about 6-7 extremely jarring questions without preparation, such as "why are people poor?". I was immediately put off, and it was not helped by the impersonal communication from the interviewer on the phone. Their tone and voice were extremely robotic.
I applied online. The process took 2 weeks. I interviewed at Propeller: A Force for Social Innovation (New Orleans, LA) in Sept 2023
Interview
Phone Call. Very crackly connection, person interviewing me sounded muffled and very far away. I believe I was on speaker phone and the person interviewing me was several feet away from the phone. The person interviewing me sounded unenthused and had zero inflection or personality in their voice. Completely scripted intro/wrap up. Questions were heavily focused on the last 5 positions on my resume- I had to state my Supervisor, a numerical rating between (1-10) of what I believe my previous supervisor would give me in that previous role, and then an explanation why I said that. It was difficult to hear the entire time. While the bulk of the interview consisted of rating myself from the perspective of my former supervisors, there were a few other questions. (Paraphrasing): "Why/How can you contribute to our mission? What makes people poor?". I appreciated hearing at the end, that I should receive an update in 2 weeks from the interview. Not many places state a timeline for their hiring process, so I appreciated that. The person conducting the interview took notes, and said they would pass the interview notes along to the hiring manager. Overall, it felt very fake/scripted, extremely difficult to decipher words/sounds on the phone call, and an overall non-specific mediocre rating for the initial interview screening.
Interview questions [1]
Question 1
What makes people poor? Why/How will you contribute to the mission of Propeller? List your previous 5 workplaces, state your Supervisor, a 1-10 numerical rating you believe they would give you, & provide an explanation of why you chose that rating.
I applied online. I interviewed at Propeller: A Force for Social Innovation (New Orleans, LA) in Jun 2017
Interview
Pretty informal, given I was being interviewed by the founder (Andrea). It was not a great process overall and it felt like interviewing me was almost a chore to her. It all just felt unprofessional. Also, I knew her from a previous role at Propeller so we had some existing knowledge about one another and she literally said things to me like:
"I don't know if you have enough fire in your belly" and "Not that you're not smart but..."
Just so distasteful and unpleasant. Thinking back on it now, I'm kind of like wtf???