Recruitment Process
Interested in joining the OHSU Foundation? Here’s what you can expect from our recruitment process.
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We think cover letters are outdated! We also know that providing a thorough response to a question is sometimes easier in writing than it is in an interview. So, in lieu of a cover letter we ask candidates to respond to 3-4 short answer questions that help us learn a little more about their experience, interest in the Foundation, and commitment to diversity, equity and inclusion. Our team reviews every application personally.
Review, screen and assess
Applications will be reviewed on a rolling basis, as they are received. Candidates invited to move forward will complete a phone interview with a Foundation recruiter. Following the phone screen, candidates will also be invited to complete an online assessment called the Employee Personality Profile, which helps us get a sense for work-related traits like patience, stress-tolerance, and cooperativeness.
Please keep in mind that there is no right or wrong way to complete the assessment – it is just one just one of the tools that the OHSU Foundation uses to get a more holistic profile of our candidates.
Interview
For many roles, candidates will be asked to have a phone interview with the hiring manager prior to any further steps. This is an opportunity for candidates to learn more about the specifics of the role, and for the hiring manager to learn more about candidates’ background as it applies to the needs of the position.
Our process culminates in a final interview with the hiring manager and potential peers. Final interviews typically consist of skills-based, behavioral, and situational interview questions. Because equity and inclusion are important to us, our interviews are designed to be as structured as possible, and our interview teams receive training on mitigating bias in the interview process.
Research shows that interviews are not the most objective or reliable way to evaluate candidates. For that reason, we also ask candidates to complete a position-specific hands-on exercise (for example, a sample response to a donor email). This step helps us assess candidates’ skills in action and gain a more holistic understanding of candidates’ strengths. Is typically done prior to or in tandem with the interview.
All candidates who participate in an interview will be invited to complete an anonymous candidate feedback survey to help us gauge the effectiveness of our interview process.
Reference check and offer
After the final-round interview the finalist(s) will be asked to provide 2-3 references. As long as the reference checks go as expected, the finalist will receive an offer to join the team!
Please keep in mind that the OHSU Foundation receives a high volume of applicants for each role, so if you are you are not selected for a position we strongly encourage you to keep an eye on our careers page. The first thing we do when opening a new position is look for qualified candidates from other recruitments!
What we look for
The OHSU Foundation is committed to a holistic interview process that takes into account candidates’ experience, skills, personal traits, and values. We are especially interested in candidates’ aptitude for the job requirements and position competencies (listed in the job description). Please pay special attention to these pieces when preparing for an interview.
One of the ways that we get a window into candidates is through the short-answer application questions, so we take that part of the process seriously. Please use these questions as an opportunity to tell us more about who you are, why you’re interested in the position, and what has drawn you to the work and mission of the OHSU Foundation.
Finally, we want to emphasize that there is no such thing as the perfect candidate. Do not be discouraged if you don’t meet every single position requirement, but do use your application to let us know what excites you about the role and what transferrable skills or other qualities you would bring to the table!
