Cosmopolitan Magazine Interview Questions
& Process

So, there were three main parts to the interview process. First, I had a chat over the phone with the person who leads the video team. After that, I was given a task to complete, which was kind of a focused work sample. Finally, I went in for an in-person interview at their London office. This last one was with both the Video Lead and the Editor-In-Chief.

I was cold-contacted for this Senior Designer role. They initially offered a lower salary but compensated with excellent benefits and housing help. The first interview went great, but then they sent a design test that would take a full day, which was tough to fit in with my current job. The second interview was quick, and they didn't really discuss my submitted work. They mentioned needing to fill the position within two weeks, so they'd get back to me soon to allow for my notice period. The next day, I got an email saying I surpassed expectations, but they needed to interview more candidates before deciding. They used very 'Cosmo' language. A month later, they emailed a two-sentence update saying they chose someone with more editorial than digital marketing experience.

I first got contacted by a recruiter on LinkedIn about the job. Then, I had a phone call with HR, followed by an in-person meeting with the hiring manager for Cosmo.com. The role was initially advertised as a full-time staff position, but during the final interview, it turned out to be temp-to-permanent, which isn't quite the same as staff. They mentioned the first six weeks would be freelance, with a potential staff offer afterwards.

Applied online and then got an email from HR the next business day. Interviewed at Hearst in NY. We mostly talked about my past experience and what's on my resume. They asked some situational questions and I learned more about the role and the hiring process.