Where do I begin? Besides being told to bring samples of my work and having a clear understanding of what they were looking for, I spent a couple of hours building all my training materials and ensuring everything was ready for the interview.
Before the interview, my sister, a former Goodwill of New Mexico employee, described the organization's training as a "hot mess" that needed significant improvement. With these red flags in mind, I still wanted to see how things would unfold.
I arrived early to a building that looked like a storefront, with one part housing the retail section and another part being the "Services" section, which had been remodeled. I wore my best suit and had everything ready, but as I walked in, I noticed there was no one at reception—no bell, no anything. After five minutes, the receptionist finally arrived, and when I informed her I was there for an interview, she simply said, "She'll be right out."
While waiting, I observed that badge control was a joke. People were holding doors open for others and there didn’t seem to be any standard enforcement. Badge control is supposed to enhance security, especially in emergencies, but here it felt more like a “cool feature” than a functional system.
Five minutes later, the Chief Administrative Officer (CAO) arrived, coming through the double doors—I was surprised since I had been waiting for her! Shrugging it off, I continued with the process.
After a brief greeting, I was led into a very modern, corporate space that looked like it belonged in Santa Clara, California, not Albuquerque, New Mexico. It was impressive, but another red flag went up when I noticed how few people were around, especially during the busy morning hours. It felt like they had spent a lot of money on the facility but neglected to invest in a decent training program. I immediately thought, "They are in trouble, and I could help them a lot—if they're willing to invest in training."
The interview began, and I was told we only had 30 minutes instead of the originally scheduled 45. I quickly realized that for a role at this level, the interview should have been at least an hour. I explained my research on Goodwill International, highlighting how they had built an Instructional Design team, which this organization seemed far from achieving. I even brought materials to discuss comparisons and benchmarks. I was eager to dive into the conversation, but it quickly became apparent that time was too short for the level of detail required.
I approached this interview as an Instructional Designer, but they were looking for a Corporate Trainer who, in their words, would "do everything." As someone with over 10 years of experience, I can confidently say that without solid processes and accountability in place, any training program will produce poor results.
Throughout the interview, I was rushed to move faster through my explanations and processes, which only reinforced the concern that they didn’t fully understand the scope of the role. In my experience, what they were asking for was too narrow, and whoever filled this position would be underpaid for the expectations they had. I didn’t voice the concern about pay, but it became clear that titles didn’t hold much weight at this organization.
One question I was asked was how long training development takes. I didn’t have specific numbers off the top of my head since development times vary depending on the training, but I had my laptop with me and offered to send the information via email (which I did after the interview). As we neared the end of the interview, I found myself rushing through my explanation, moving so fast I was out of breath. At that point, I knew I didn’t want the job, and I also knew they likely wouldn’t want me in the role either.
The CAO mentioned that the position was 100% on-site, which hadn’t been discussed previously. I quickly wrapped up, gathered my materials, and was escorted out. I apologized for wearing running shoes with my suit due to an ankle issue and left the interview feeling confident it wasn’t a good fit.
Why I believe I wasn’t chosen:
I was too direct in my feedback.
I expressed that the Corporate Trainer role was too small in scope.
I followed up with an email to clarify the on-site requirement, stating my preference for a hybrid or remote work environment.
How I knew it was over:
The job was reposted 3 days later! I laughed when I received an email that said: "While we were very impressed with your experience, we have chosen another candidate whose skills more closely align with the position." It felt disingenuous. Just be honest and say you’re still searching for the right candidate. My suspicion is they brought me in to gauge what they could charge or expect from this role. Ultimately, they’ll lowball some poor soul who will be overworked and underpaid.
Final thoughts:
Unless Goodwill of New Mexico gets serious about real training I recommend avoiding them for now.
