What is the hiring process like at American Red Cross?

- Excellent benefits and resources for employees - Pay is comparable if not higher than similar nonprofits in the industry - great mission

- work life balance isn't great - hiring process is slow

The pay is good and you’re almost guaranteed overtime because the blood drives usually go over their scheduled time. The training is also thorough and you use company vehicles for any travel.

During the interview process, I made it very clear that schedule consistency was my primary concern because my husband and I share one vehicle. The recruiter assured me that training would be seven weeks, Monday–Friday, 8am–5pm, and described it as “more like college,” implying a predictable classroom schedule. After the first week, that was no longer the case. I was regularly scheduled at off-site drives 30–60 minutes away, with shifts starting as early as 5:30am and ending as late as 9pm. The schedule became progressively less predictable week after week. Even after the schedule has been made, it changes frequently. You can’t plan anything ahead of time because they’ll change your schedule with as little as 10 hours notice if they want. They have zero respect for any work-life balance. I wish there had been more transparency about the actual training expectations and hours so I could have made a more informed decision.

-Mission is a noble cause that can potentially help people in crisis -Good to know people care -Slower-paced environment could be a plus for some -Working remotely

With everything I know now, I’m embarrassed to have worked for this organization. The people served by the American Red Cross deserve better. I would not donate my time, money, or blood to them. The org preaches how they respect donors, but after seeing the blatant inefficiency and mismanagement, I’m extremely disappointed and have lost any trust in them. ***Incompetent Management and Co-Workers*** -Incompetent, elitist, and arrogant management filled by people in roles in which they have no experience with or understanding of which is problematic in so many ways -Poor communication and non-existent teamwork at every level -Most technical work is outsourced to other countries to save money, but the work is of such poor quality it causes astronomical long-term costs to fix and creates more problems (so much for American jobs at an American nonprofit, right?) -Lack of consistency and zero expectations for team members, meetings, action items, etc. -Uncommitted to projects and initiatives, so nothing is taken seriously -New hires are set up to fail; no orientation or universal onboarding process -Lack of trust — you quickly learn not to outshine your manager or colleagues -Wildly inefficient and disorganized -Very, very hard to get work done because everything needs to go through managers that don’t acknowledge, help, or delegate -Annual reviews are arbitrary and based on how your manager thinks, which is a mystery ***Unethical Executive Leadership*** -Authoritarian, hostile, and elitist executive leadership and directors -Shockingly unethical decisions being made in 2025 at the executive level -Self-serving use of toxic positivity to make themselves feel good -Claims all voices are heard, but pretends to listen and isn’t serious about fixing issues -Speaking up results in being talked down to ***Unhealthy Environment*** -Expectation and pressure to self-deploy to disaster sites and put yourself in harm’s way no matter your job, expertise, or level of comfort -People are used with no concern for health, mental health, or personal safety at on-site events, meetings, or shelters -At least 10+ meetings about the same topic over a long time period only to never reach resolution -Depressing environment where everyone is suspicious of each other and keeps to themselves -There is no place for career advancement. I never once saw someone advance or be promoted on any team. Ever. -Expectation to do other people’s jobs -I regularly felt insulted as a professional and as a technologist ***Lackluster Organization*** -Inequitable disaster services -Compensation is not competitive -Hypocritical stance of encouraging the use of AI -Worth billions of dollars but prefers to find volunteers instead of hiring quality talent to fill gaps and invest in making critical improvements -Volunteers keep the organization running with zero appreciation in return which feels awkward as an employee -Uses nonprofit status as an excuse for serious issues they don’t want to deal with; they get away with it because of their power and prestige while people find themselves in desperate situations

Not professional, lack of communication. Ended up leaving due to stress and disrespect from management. Great training thorough & very patient during hiring process.

Management is disrespectful to the people underneath them.

-Mission is a noble cause that can potentially help people in crisis -Good to know people care -Slower-paced environment could be a plus for some -Working remotely

With everything I know now, I’m embarrassed to have worked for this organization. The people served by the American Red Cross deserve better. I would not donate my time, money, or blood to them. The org preaches how they respect donors, but after seeing the blatant inefficiency and mismanagement, I’m extremely disappointed and have lost any trust in them. ***Incompetent Management and Co-Workers*** -Incompetent, elitist, and arrogant management filled by people in roles in which they have no experience with or understanding of which is problematic in so many ways -Poor communication and non-existent teamwork at every level -Most technical work is outsourced to other countries to save money, but the work is of such poor quality it causes astronomical long-term costs to fix and creates more problems (so much for American jobs at an American nonprofit, right?) -Lack of consistency and zero expectations for team members, meetings, action items, etc. -Uncommitted to projects and initiatives, so nothing is taken seriously -New hires are set up to fail; no orientation or universal onboarding process -Lack of trust — you quickly learn not to outshine your manager or colleagues -Wildly inefficient and disorganized -Very, very hard to get work done because everything needs to go through managers that don’t acknowledge, help, or delegate -Annual reviews are arbitrary and based on how your manager thinks, which is a mystery ***Unethical Executive Leadership*** -Authoritarian, hostile, and elitist executive leadership and directors -Shockingly unethical decisions being made in 2025 at the executive level -Self-serving use of toxic positivity to make themselves feel good -Claims all voices are heard, but pretends to listen and isn’t serious about fixing issues -Speaking up results in being talked down to ***Unhealthy Environment*** -Expectation and pressure to self-deploy to disaster sites and put yourself in harm’s way no matter your job, expertise, or level of comfort -People are used with no concern for health, mental health, or personal safety at on-site events, meetings, or shelters -At least 10+ meetings about the same topic over a long time period only to never reach resolution -Depressing environment where everyone is suspicious of each other and keeps to themselves -There is no place for career advancement. I never once saw someone advance or be promoted on any team. Ever. -Expectation to do other people’s jobs -I regularly felt insulted as a professional and as a technologist ***Lackluster Organization*** -Inequitable disaster services -Compensation is not competitive -Hypocritical stance of encouraging the use of AI -Worth billions of dollars but prefers to find volunteers instead of hiring quality talent to fill gaps and invest in making critical improvements -Volunteers keep the organization running with zero appreciation in return which feels awkward as an employee -Uses nonprofit status as an excuse for serious issues they don’t want to deal with; they get away with it because of their power and prestige while people find themselves in desperate situations

It's difficult to sum up in its entirety the relatively-short stint working for the ARC. In all seriousness, the only pros I can think of are the following: 1. If you are looking for a career as a BMET, if you can endure the nonsense of working here, it *may* look good on your resume due to the fact that everyone believes the Red Cross is a morally upright and effective organization, although your lack of technical skills will be quite evident as the job duties (performing PMs, sometimes installations, etc) mostly consist of wiping down surfaces, or the occasional (extremely basic, light) mechanical maintenance. If you are like me and were coming in already with an electronics-based skillset, you're in better straits. 2. The benefits were OK. Not great, not terrible. They match more on the 401k than I thought a not-for-profit would, but still, definitely not much at all. 3. The other BMETs -- definitely not all of them, but certainly some -- were quite helpful and carried the spirit of teamwork.

1. NOBODY knows for sure what is going on. The managers seem to never talk with each other; the communication in this organization is such an absolute joke. Get ready to write the same email or have the same Teams call three times, a different person each, when coordinating a good time to schedule PMs. 2. This is an organization that will put a new hire into a department that was run for thirty years by a hoarder and expect success. Why was it the responsibility of 3 BMETs (one who had traveled from a different state) to spend two days cleaning up the place, throwing away 400+ lbs of paper junk, knick-knacks, broken parts for devices no longer supported, paper, paper, more paper, moldy boxes, old food, and so on, all from a workshop that is supposed to maintain and/or fix medical devices? 3. More travel than is advertised. 4. Not nearly as technical of a job as is advertised. If you're looking to acquire industry-specific skills and experience, you aren't getting it here. You just aren't. Some of the other BMETs are a bit more hands on but they're vastly outnumbered. 5. There's a general attitude of this company being a place where less-than-motivated individuals seem to park themselves and never leave. If you're looking to be surrounded by motivated, aspiring individuals, don't apply here. 6. Because of the above two points, you will become mind-numbingly bored working here. I have never been more bored in my entire life. 7.. Some of the older buildings feel like you're working in a prison. Working in a basement with no windows isn't the best.

Many of my colleagues are dedicated, passionate, and genuinely care about making a difference.

Recent management decisions have been disgracefully handled, lacking professionalism and basic respect. There's a stark divide between leadership and staff, leaving many feeling undervalued and unsupported. The arbitrary use of Performance Improvement Plans (PIPs), especially following conflicts with major donors, is deeply concerning. HR communication on critical employment matters has been woefully inadequate, causing unnecessary stress and confusion. The culture of toxic positivity stifles genuine support for struggling team members, making it nearly impossible to address real challenges. The lack of structured onboarding and ongoing communication and support when seeking help creates an environment of uncertainty and frustration. If you're considering a role here, prepare for the rewarding aspects of the work to be overshadowed by poor management and a lack of regard for employees.

6 week paid training, mostly online but they do provide you with an iPad and other tools to help you learn. You are also mailed an oculus that you perform a virtual blood draw on a donor. Weekends and major holidays off. PTO available after your 6 week training. Call out process was pretty lenient. Lots of opportunities to move up in the company and receive a pay raise. You never drive your personal vehicle when traveling to a drive- and if you’re working a mega drive the company provides you with a hotel room and a food voucher.

The learning process was a little rushed. Most of the information you learn is online through courses and taught by a teacher through Microsoft teams. You’re expected to catch on quick, which might work for some. The first couple weeks you learn about the company, how to interact with donors.. etc. Afterwards you learn anatomy of the arm, veins, blood types etc. Once you get to the actual sticking part, everything comes very fast. Soon after, you have an assessment that if you pass you are out of training. It was all very rushed. The location I worked at had a lot of drama and bullying unfortunately. As soon as someone walked out of the room, others would talk badly about them. Management was okay but also knew about the bullying and didn’t do anything or maybe wasn’t able to. If you work as a travel phlebotomist you travel sometimes 4 hours away. Hours differ depending on the location of the drive. Loading and unloading the van, setting up and breaking down the drive can be strenuous.

Great cause to aid hospitals with blood bank. Good community involvement.

Refocused from local community donor recruitment to regional recruitment therefore eliminating my job.

Kingsport RC was a really nice place loved the director who had just been hired and hired me. As soon as she left it felt very uncomfortable it lacked diversity I was the only black american hired. There were no other black co workers for the two years I was there. Although I had a MBA never offered a position but secretly would hire white students employees lots of private meetings. Some volunteer workers travel were paid where I had to cover all of my expenses for travel.

Lack of Diversity and biased hiring.