I applied on May 1st via LinkedIn's Easy Apply option, and was contacted May 2nd about the position May 3rd. Basic interview questions were asked (work history, why I wanted to the position, etc) and gave me some insight on the position as well (what would be expected, the company itself, etc). I was asked at this point what my salary expectations were. I said $44k-$48k. They stated that the position would pay somwhere between $40k to $45k, and I told her that wouldn't be a problem. After this, there was no communication for a month.
May 30th, I was contacted again to set up a second interview with one of the hiring managers, and the interview was placed for the next day, the 31st, though not with a hiring manager, but with one of the executive editors. Again, usual interview questions were asked, and this conversation went a lot deeper into past experiences, journalism, and more about the role. The interview with him was great and he told me upfront that I would be moving onto the next interview. Another interview with a different editor, an editorial director, on June 1st. This chat was short (10 minutes compared to the 25-30 minutes of the previous two), though very similar to the previous ones.
Again, after this interview, silence. I reached out on June 22nd for an update, and was told on June 25th I would be given an update within a week. I reached out again on July 10th, and on July 13th, I was invited for an onsite interview on July 16th to meet with four people, none I had previously talked to.
Once on site, I spoke to two persons who edit (who both gave me written/editorial assignments), a person who writes news, and then the a person who is in charge of the department, editorial wise. The interviews with the first three was amazing: they seemed very interested in my background, in myself, and what I could bring to the table. The director, on the other hand, was very stand offish and cold, mocked that I only had my associate's degree, the fact that my 13 years of experience as a journalism and editor in a different industry didn't mean much, and did her best to try to intimidate me from the position. Towards the end, she asked what I expected my salary to be, and I quoted was told me from months ago that I was told $40-$45k. She full on laughed in my face and said, "It would never be that high. You would be only an associate editor, nothing more. You're looking at maybe $35,000 a year." As we wrapped things up, the
director stated that I should "really think about whether or not [I] was an editor and a journalism" and do a little bit of "self searching". She added that I shouldn't hear anything for the next couple of weeks due to being one of the first persons interviewed.
On August 8th, I emailed about any updates, and received a response on August 12th, stating that they would not move forward with me. The following line was in the email: "Everyone enjoyed our conversations with you, however, are looking for a candidate whose skills are more aligned with the needs of this role." I will state that this is not a phrase or reason you use when you've run someone through four interviews with seven different persons over a three month time span. This is a line you use in your email before you even bring the person on site.
While the overall persons involved were nice and kind, the experience was not. The lack of communication from the team, the constant having to chase down answers, and then the attitude and disdained exhibited by the director, have all tainted my thoughts on the company. I cannot recommend anyone applying here unless you have no problem with the lack of professionalism of some and a long wait.
