I wish I could provide insight on the process, but there isn’t a standard one because the AOA’s HR team is completely averse to developing and following policies and procedures. They are incredibly disorganized and inefficient. After a phone screen I was scheduled for an in-person panel interview. The only problem with that is that HR never told me the date/time of that interview or confirmed it would be taking place. According to them it was a “system glitch” and they would let the panel know that it was their mistake. Upon speaking with a few individuals on the panel months after the fact, however, it became clear that HR placed the blame on me and had actually made it sound like I forgot to show up (apparently this was a routine issue with multiple candidates). Despite this, I was still hired (red flag). Fast forward to my time as an AOA employee in the hiring manager role and it all made sense: the HR team is inept and woefully unqualified to attract, motivate and retain employees. They routinely screw up scheduling, have no clue how to get traction with a position posting, give candidates misleading information, never follow up and are unable to answer basic questions that a candidate might have about joining the AOA (benefits, career path, etc...). The only upside to the interview process is that the recruiter, in trying to determine whether the AOA can afford you, will often give you the entire salary band for a role. Terrible practice, but a great way for a candidate to ask for and get more money (who wouldn’t ask for the top of the band if they know it’s within the budget?)

The interview process was straightforward. The team was professional and communicated clearly. Overall, it was a standard experience. The interview went smoothly. The questions were typical, and the process followed the usual steps. Nothing unexpected.