Blue 449 Interview Questions
& Process

I thought things were going well. Had an initial screening with HR in NY. Then, I had a phone interview with the hiring Director. The following week, I went to the Seattle office for a 2.5-hour meeting with the entire team, interviewed one-on-one by four different people. They were all friendly and open. My recruiter in NY left the company shortly after, and I was told my info was passed to another recruiter, but I never got their contact. It's been a month now, and I can't reach anyone. I'm surprised to be ghosted after getting this far.

A recruiter reached out about a role I hadn't seen advertised. Initial contact was professional and quick. The first step was a phone screen, where I answered some questions, explained my take on a few things, and gave a quick self-pitch. After that, I moved to the next stage. My scheduled call with the EVP in NYC got canceled last minute because he was busy. We rescheduled for the following week, but it started 20 minutes late. The EVP apologized and mentioned he'd been trying to get the recruiter to handle calendar invites differently, which was kind of funny since she'd said something similar about him. This felt like a minor red flag. The call itself went well; he mainly asked about my background and interest in the role, and he also gave me an overview of the company and a key client. Next, I had in-person interviews with six people at their Seattle office. They needed to schedule these quickly, and they went as smoothly as could be expected. It was mostly background questions and some hypothetical 'what would you do' scenarios. I connected well with some interviewers, others were neutral, and one was quite cold. What was concerning was the communication afterward. The process didn't meet my expectations, and it didn't align with what I'd heard from others. I kept getting generic replies like 'still collecting feedback.' Even a deadline the recruiter gave for a decision passed without an update. Five weeks after my last interview, the job appeared on LinkedIn, still with no word from the recruiter. This role hadn't been posted anywhere before, not even on their own site. After over a month of 'still getting feedback,' I sent one last email asking for an update. The recruiter then asked me to describe myself 'to present to the team,' which felt odd after so many interviews. Two days later, I received a rejection email. My final question about where I fell short to help with future applications with the company went unanswered. It was a very unprofessional and disappointing experience, especially considering I accommodated their requests and scheduling issues.

The interview process started with a phone interview and then an in-person interview at their Seattle office. The HR manager, who was very flexible and personable, set up the initial phone call. We spoke for about 20 minutes about my background and my interest in the media industry. She then arranged the in-person interview and even though she's based in New York, she made sure to be there to meet me at the Seattle office. It was great having a single point of contact for the whole process. There were about 8 other people interviewing too. The HR manager gave a brief presentation about the program, followed by a math test, mainly focusing on percentages. After the test, each of us had a 2-on-1 interview with two employees from Optimedia. My interviewers were really nice, and we had a good conversation. I received an offer the following week, which I accepted!

The interview process was straightforward and easy. I only had one call with a recruiter based in New York. They asked standard interview questions and the call was under 30 minutes. The conversation focused on my previous experiences and extracurricular activities that have shaped my work ethic. After some email exchanges, the process concluded. It's advisable to prepare a bit beforehand to make a good impression. Knowing about some of their major clients is also beneficial.