Interviewed for Admissions Role – Disorganized Process and Very Poor Candidate Experience I recently went through the interview process for a Student Admissions Representative role and wanted to share my experience in case it helps future candidates know what to expect. The hiring process was explained to me as a four-step progression: - Phone screen with the direct manager - Zoom interview with the direct manager and their manager - Virtual role-play interview with the manager’s manager and their senior leader - Final on-site interview with the rest of the team Step one happened quickly and was actually encouraging. I received a direct email response from the hiring manager less than an hour after submitting my application and we scheduled an initial phone conversation. Step two was a Zoom interview with the hiring manager and their regional leader. During that conversation, the next stage of the process was explained in detail: a role-play scenario where a senior leader would pretend to be a prospective student while the regional manager observed. I was even told this was a standard part of their interview process. Naturally, I prepared for a role-play. Almost a week after that interview, I followed up with the hiring manager as I had not heard anything. He graciously said he would connect with the regional leader to follow up. Two days later, I received an email from the regional leader inviting me to the next step — addressed to someone else named Nathan. When I politely asked whether the message was meant for me or for Nathan (who I sincerely wish the best in his career journey), I received a brief confirmation in all lowercase that yes, the interview was intended for me. From there, the scheduling portion of the process became…creative. I received multiple calendar invitations for different dates, some weeks apart, along with explanations that calendar invite edits couldn’t be made from a phone and that new invites would be coming shortly. After a few rounds of calendar roulette, the interview was eventually confirmed for the correct date. On the day of the interview, I joined the Zoom expecting the previously described role-play scenario. Instead, the senior leader conducted a traditional interview and asked a series of questions about my background and experience. The role-play portion that had been described and that I had prepared for never actually happened. And the regional leader did not attend to observe as I had been told. The senior leader did apologize for the confusion, which I appreciated. After the process concluded, I received a message indicating the organization had decided to move forward with candidates who had more direct experience. That outcome is completely fair — not every role is the right fit. However, the overall process felt unusually disorganized given the structure that had originally been communicated. Between the incorrect name in the interview invitation, multiple conflicting calendar invites, and shifting interview formats, the experience felt less like a coordinated hiring process and more like a series of scheduling plot twists. Interviews are often a candidate’s first window into how an organization communicates and operates internally. My hope is that future candidates experience a clearer and more aligned process than the one I encountered. And if Nathan is out there somewhere reading this — best of luck to you as well.