I wish I could write a positive review for the organization, unfortunately my experience was far from the values they preach and attempt to ‘signal’ (despite all the ‘positionality-speak’ in all their webinars). I was initially very excited to apply for a position at CS&S, however, it wasn’t until more than a month past the application deadline that I heard back from them. For reference, the initial application required applicants to write ~1,500 words essay. There wasn’t even an apology, it was rather a fait accompli email stating that they’re busy and cannot get a handle of the recruitment process (not a good sign). It will certainly be a different story if they explicitly state something along the lines of “only shortlisted applicants will be contacted”, but the email failed to effectively communicate whether I, as an applicant, go through to the next stage. The only thing it succeeded to convey was the possible dates of the interview which I didn’t even know I’d be invited to or not. Moving forward, five weeks after the vague email I still have not heard anything from them, not even an ‘official’ rejection email. I understand the urgency and importance of having positionality, DEI statements, etc. for organizations these days. However, if all those are not realized in the actual candidate’s experience, then it is completely meaningless. The organization has clearly failed to show respect to applicants/potential team members -- just another org that would ghost you and waste your time.