Clever Journalist Interview Questions
& Process

The interview process at this company was quite unique and felt long, spanning about 7 weeks from the initial application to the final rejection. It seems the recent leadership changes and funding might have contributed to the extended timeline. My experience started with a 40-question online quiz after I applied. Then, there was a 30-minute phone screen. Next, I had a week to complete a paid editing assignment, which took about two weeks from receiving it to submitting it. Things slowed down after that, with almost a three-week gap before the next interview. This interview, lasting 90 minutes, was described as a "WHO interview" and was recorded. Unfortunately, despite positive feedback from earlier stages, this interview felt a bit awkward. Based on some comments, I suspected they might have already made a decision or that the interviewer wasn't impressed after watching the recording. The questions were largely repetitive. However, the interviewer was articulate and answered all my questions. The main challenge was definitely the overall duration of the hiring process. Given my skills and experience, the interview content itself wasn't particularly difficult, and the interviewers were knowledgeable and pleasant.

The recruitment process and interview were very pleasant. They seemed eager to move me to the next step, which was a paid trial. Maybe I didn't perform well in that process, but it's what I do professionally every day for my 15 years in this career. Part of me feels the speed at which they were willing to move was indicative of just wanting content at a low price. The amount of work asked for the stipend provided would be much cheaper than hiring someone for the role. Also, if you look at the content writer and editor interviewees listed on Glassdoor, you'll see most of them were not extended an offer. It's a repeatable process that could save the company a lot of money. I am not saying this is happening for sure, but just something to think about when you give your ideas to them.

I had a good first phone call with the hiring manager. They said the next steps were an editing test and then a more formal interview. I spent two hours on an unpaid test and submitted it on time, but then I heard nothing back. When I followed up, they said they had already hired someone. Pay people for testing and communicate better so we don't waste our time.