Burson-Marsteller Interview Questions
& Process

The application was due at the usual time, similar process as previous years, requiring an essay on one of their three topics and a press release announcing your joining BM. A reference letter was also required. I applied by the deadline, and got a follow-up email saying that there were additional documents that were to be submitted, not mentioned on their online application, including a thing for diversity. I submitted those. They were behind in the recruitment process and skipped the HR interview round so I was contacted for final interviews. Interview happened via phone.

Das Gespräch fing locker an, stellte sich aber schnell als unmöglich heraus. Die Recruiterin hatte von Anfang an eine respektlose Einstellung. Man hat sich durchgehend gefühlt, als würde man ausgelacht bzw belächelt werden. Die Dame sollte stark an Ihrem Umgangston arbeiten und sich darüber Gedanken machen, wie man Mitmenschen anständig behandelt. Warum sich überhaupt die Mühe machen, wenn man kein Interesse hat bzw den Kandidaten nicht als passend erachtet. Es hätte mir unglaublich viel Zeit und Mühe erspart eine einfache Absage zu kassieren. Das wäre nicht das Ende der Welt gewesen. Aber von Anfang an in ein Gespräch verwickelt zu sein, wo man einfach nur auflegen will, weil der gegenüber einen nicht für voll nimmt, ist schon stark unnötig. Sie hat versucht mich für ein Praktikum bzw unterbezahltes Traineeship zu begeistern. Ich habe das Gespräch selbst beendet und gesagt, dass wir nicht auf einen Nenner kommen.

Applied through LinkedIn and was invited for a pretty informal interview with the head of department after they reviewed my application and CV. The main interviewer was great, responsive, and easy to talk to, asked good questions and really dug into my CV. He really put me through my paces. The other interviewer was 10 minutes late for my 30-minute interview and mostly sat on his phone under the table. He hardly seemed to be paying attention and didn't ask any significant questions. It left a really bad impression of the company, considering one of the directors can't spare half an hour for a candidate interviewing for a relatively senior role. If it had been a client emergency, I wouldn't have minded him leaving, instead of wasting my time. They took over a week to get back to me, even after I sent a follow-up email. I got the feeling they interviewed me just to compare me to another candidate they already liked, as my background didn't exactly match what they clearly wanted based on their feedback. It was basically a practice interview for a company I'm now certain I don't want to work for.

HR from BM's DC office reached out on LinkedIn in May 2017 about a senior associate role, but they thought I'd be a better fit for a manager's position and wanted to move fast, aiming to fill it by July end. The process was pretty standard: a call with HR, an in-person meeting with my potential manager (a director), interviews with three other directors/VPs, and a writing test where I drafted a sample ad plan and memo. HR was really helpful and transparent throughout, even sharing positive feedback and details like salary and computer type. By mid-July, HR let me know I was their top pick and had the job pending final approvals. However, by late July, HR informed me that while I was still the chosen candidate, they needed to wait for sign-off from BM's NY office and WPP in London, estimating it would take two weeks. My potential manager took me out for drinks to reassure me about their interest and the upcoming offer. After two weeks, I followed up with HR and was told the process would likely take two more months due to logistical issues, and they'd update me when they knew more. Since I wasn't actively job hunting and BM seemed great, I reached out after two months with no response, and even a follow-up went unanswered. I felt strung along, especially with the assurances and feedback, and I suspect they might have been fishing for ideas given the nascent stage of the operation I was interviewing to lead.