BerlinRosen Interview Questions
& Process

I had an initial chat with someone from Orchestra who reached out. The second step involved creating a comprehensive crisis strategy. I decided not to proceed with interviews that require such a large project before even speaking with the core team. It felt like doing free work, especially since the formal interview with two senior people barely touched on the assignment for about 10 minutes, with feedback mainly on formatting. A few weeks later, I got a standard email saying they chose someone else. Overall, it was okay, but I believe these extensive assignments should only be requested after clear interest is shown and after more direct conversations with the actual team.

The interview process was pretty straightforward. Most of the questions were about my past experience and how I'd handle different situations. They presented me with case scenarios, asking what I would do, the steps I'd take to fix a particular issue, or how I'd manage changing circumstances at work.

This was my second time applying for their PR internship. The first time I only made it to the first round, which was the trial project. It was a two-hour timed project that mainly tested practical PR skills, like writing a pitch and finding media targets. The second time around, I received the same prompt for the trial project as the first time. After that, I was invited to interview with two people on the team. It was a good conversation; none of the questions were too difficult, and the interviewers really responded to what I said and gave positive feedback. They also asked me to discuss and explain my trial project, but it wasn't a formal presentation by any means. I didn't make it past the second round, but the process was overall more transparent and communicative than the first time.

I applied for an EVP, Financial Communications role at Orchestra, the holding company for BerlinRosen. The first step was a screening call with an in-house recruiter, but communication was difficult due to language barriers. After passing that, I had a call with two senior people, one from BerlinRosen (MD) and another from Derris, an Orchestra subsidiary. The next stage involved an assignment where I had to create a business plan, with no specified time limit. I dedicated many hours to this. The following round was a presentation to the initial three interviewers plus another stakeholder, the CEO of an Orchestra agency. Unfortunately, the Derris stakeholder was ill and couldn't attend, which was a shame as they seemed like the key person. I didn't get past this round. The recruiter gave minimal feedback, stating others performed better in the presentation. My general impression is that the interviewers didn't fully grasp 'Financial Communications' as distinct from general PR for the financial sector, and the salary offered seemed low for an EVP in NYC financial services. I suggest they clarify the role's objectives internally, ensure all stakeholders attend, and refine the interview process, especially regarding assignment expectations.