Reed College interview questions

Was asked questions, two people listened and took notes. They were very nice. There were about 10 questions, some described what ive done in the past to help people, some described what id do in a hypothetical situation, and some were the generic interview questions.

I want to start off by saying I have been through many interview processes in the field of higher education, and this was honestly one of the worst experiences I've ever had. I am somewhat relieved I didn't get an offer because the process really put a bad taste in my mouth. I submitted my cover letter, resume, and online application, and was emailed a day later to schedule a short phone interview with the search committee chair. The interview was a basic screening of my experience and interest in the role, which was quick and easy. Two weeks later, I was invited to an on-campus interview. This was a typical 45-minute panel style interview with a few current employees - great, no problem. A week went by and I was emailed again and asked to schedule a 30-minute phone interview with another person who couldn't be present during my previous on-campus interview. Fine. Another week later, I was invited for another on-campus interview, which was scheduled 3 weeks out. This was a half-day interview, which is pretty typical in the higher ed field. Usually, you are invited to campus to meet with some of the people you'd be working with while in the role. In my previous experience with these, I have been invited for lunch, coffee, or at the very least a campus tour. These interviews are generally two-way, in that you are also interviewing the staff and the campus to see if it is a good fit for you. This was not the case at Reed. Most of my 5 hour half-day interview consisted of sitting in a basement conference room fielding the same behavioral questions over and over again by different campus members and stakeholders. I met with 7 different groups of people, there were no scheduled breaks, no time to grab a snack or glass of water. 5 hours without a scheduled break is cruel. A few of my interviewers mentioned they were filling in for someone else and hadn’t seen my resume/didn’t know anything about me. 5 hours later, I was shaking from hunger and mentally exhausted. I was not shown the office where I might be working, or anywhere else on campus. I was told a decision would be made in about a week. There was no real closure to my interview, and I was not walked out. Two weeks of silence went by and I emailed the search committee chair to check in and see if they made a decision or have an update on their timeline. No response. Another week went by, and I finally received a generic email letting me know that they had chosen another candidate. I replied promptly with gratitude, and to see if they had any feedback about my interview and what qualifications I might have been lacking. No response. I was very put off by this entire process and the way I was treated both during and after my interviews. Our higher education community is very small, and I'm sure our paths will probably cross again, so I am very perturbed by this behavior. Do better, Reed.