Questions d'entretien chez The Salvation Army

I applied for the entry-level Design Research & Communications Specialist position within the Center for Applied Research and Innovation (CARI) May 2026. The process consisted of a 50-minute Microsoft Teams interview with the Director of Design Strategy & Research and another team member. It included standard behavioral questions, questions about my design approach, and a portfolio walkthrough. Before I began my portfolio presentation, the interview took an uncomfortable, interrogative turn when the Director's opening question about my resume targeted a caregiving gap. This disrupted the flow of the interview, casting a shadow over the portfolio walkthrough and leaving my professional experience sidelined. For a faith-based nonprofit whose mission centers on overcoming social stigmas, it was disappointing to minimize a candidate’s technical qualifications and reduce them to a personal life event. An applicant who spends hours prepping, writes a cover letter, provides the portfolio and 3 professional references required has already demonstrated their commitment. Worse, the Director ended the interview with a patronizing comment on how "caregiving shows character," once again completely bypassing my professional title as a Design Researcher and my relevant nonprofit UX work. Please learn to respect an applicant's professional title, their work history, and the time they spent preparing, rather than alienating qualified candidates. CARI leadership would benefit from training on how to navigate interviews objectively, without introducing personal bias or patronizing feedback into the evaluation.