BuzzFeed General Intern Interview Questions
& Process

I interviewed for a fellow position over the phone three weeks after submitting my application. The following week a video interview was set up with two producers. Only one producer showed up and the interview consisted of the producer asking if I had any questions for 10-15 minutes while we waited for the other producer to show. Afterwards, I asked to be put in contact with the other producer so that I could reschedule. The no-show producer never responded to the cc-ed email and I was not given an explanation as to what happened or what to expect. I emailed the woman who originally coordinated the interview explaining what happened and asking if she could help me reschedule. She did not respond but instead the producer who interviewed me responded. She apologized for any misunderstandings and explained that the other producer had been swept away on short notice handling tasks and said she would reach out to me soon. A week later the producer still hadn't reached out to me so I asked for her email and tried to set up an interview. She sent me an invitation to speak the following day. Two hours before, she cancelled and we agreed to reschedule for the next day. At the end of the day when she still hadn't sent an invitation, I followed up again assuming that she had forgotten. She never responded. I again reached out to the coordinator, asking if she could inform me whether or not Buzzfeed was pursuing my candidacy as I was given no information whatsoever about how the process is supposed to work or who to contact. She also never responded. It seems that Buzzfeed has either highly disorganized or no HR whatsoever. I am incredibly disheartened that a company I admire could be so disrespectful to its potential employees. I sincerely hope that this does not happen to another person, it does not feel good to be left hanging. A company that ghosts its own job candidates needs to seriously rethink its mission in the world.

Applied on their website for a fellowship and a few days later was asked to do an online recording answering questions about my experience and why I would be a good fit and why I want to work at Buzzfeed. After over a month without hearing back, I was contacted by a recruiting coordinator to set up an in-person interview at their NYC office. I ended up meeting with only one of the two people scheduled, and it was a brief meeting (about 25 minutes). Everyone I met at the office was welcoming. I was told I would hear back from my recruiting coordinator within a week. When I didn't, I reached out. The following week, still no response, so I reached out again. The next week, I emailed the interviewer but received no reply. After a positive initial experience, the lack of communication post-interview was disappointing, even if it meant not getting the job.

The interview process was super straightforward. It involved a one-hour meeting with the HR Manager and then another hour meeting with another manager. They asked me questions like 'Tell me about yourself', 'Tell me about your biggest strengths and weaknesses', 'What is your biggest failure?', and 'Why do you want this role?'.