Animal Welfare
I applied for two positions at Marin Humane. One had been posted for less than a day when I applied, and within a few days I was told the role had been filled internally, there was no interview and no opportunity to discuss the role or what I could bring to it. Given how quickly the posting was taken down, it's hard not to wonder whether it was ever an active external search to begin with. For the second position, the process was more substantial, an initial virtual meeting with three staff members, followed by an in-person interview with three individuals, including the CEO. Throughout both conversations, I was able to share my experience and background while also asking questions about the organization and the role. With more than 10 years of experience in the field, the discussions were engaging and gave us the chance to talk through operational challenges, strategy, and organizational needs in real depth. In hindsight, I’m not sure the organization was seeking candidates and instead might have been seeking free consultation on how to stand up a new program internally. I was told to expect a follow-up within 10–14 days, but I was ultimately ghosted despite reaching out directly to the organization afterward. I understand that hiring internally is sometimes the right call, and that timelines and priorities can shift throughout a process. But more transparent and consistent communication along the way, particularly around timelines, next steps, and whether an internal candidate was already in consideration, would have made for far better candidate experience. Even a brief update earlier on would have helped set clearer expectations and shown more respect for the time and effort candidates put into researching, applying, and interviewing with an organization.