I applied online. I interviewed at THE SPORTS EDIT (London, England)
Interview
My main contact was friendly, but the overall process was relatively off-putting. They were very eager to proceed during the interview process but were limited in their compromises, only offering slots within working hours despite being located in a hard-to-get-to area of West London (even coming in from central/zone 1 — would take at least 2 trains, a bus AND a 15-minute walk, and if no bus then a 30-minute walk). They were finally able to compromise an earlier start / to stay back but made a pretty big deal of it.
The interviews themselves were okay, but I got the impression from the team that the head of the company was difficult to work with, with them citing his high expectations and difficulties pleasing him and eagerness to get someone in ASAP because he was getting impatient. I met with him in a second interview which was a fine experience, though he seemed to be impatient/pressed for time throughout it.
Following 2 separate interviews, they requested a presentation on short notice, which I agreed to. This was done virtually and not much feedback was given, just a lot of questions about my ideas and how I would execute them. All in all, when the interview process was over, there was nothing — I never heard back from them, not even to receive a 'no' or a brief token of appreciation for my time. This was all after a few weeks of incessant emails from them to proceed with the interview process despite the fact I had also alluded to being unsure if the role was right for me. The entire process took hours, from the 3 interviews, travel, and presentation prep, and to not even get a thanks-but-no was disappointing. I didn't bother following up because it was certain at that point that I would not want to work at TSE.
Again, my contact was friendly and perhaps it just slipped through the cracks, but it very much felt as though TSE were understaffed and just desperate to find someone to ease the workload ASAP to appease their head, but it didn't feel like the team got on very well or appreciated each other's effort or time — they certainly didn't for their interviewees.
Interview questions [1]
Question 1
Lots of questions about ideas I had and what work I would do and how I would do them