Elite Daily Interview Questions
& Process

The whole thing took about a month, and had a few parts. First, a super chill 15-minute phone chat. Then, I got to send in written answers to some cool questions on my own time. The last bit was a 'timed edit test' where I worked with my future boss on some prompts, pitches, and an article. It was tough, but I really enjoyed seeing what I could do under pressure! They offered me the job, and I took it.

The interview process was slow and dragged out. There were multiple rounds of interviews, along with edit tests, and not much communication. The whole thing took a few months, and I didn't even end up getting the job.

I applied online via the jobs portal and also emailed a senior HR person. She sent me an editorial test with a 3-day deadline. I submitted it but didn't hear back for over a week. When I followed up, I learned the first HR person was gone and the job was filled. I guess she got fired, and the right people never saw my application or test. Too bad.

The whole thing took about a month from start to finish. After I sent in my resume, cover letter, and some writing examples, they had me do a writing test that I didn't get paid for. This test was a lot: it included coming up with multiple story ideas, writing two articles, and answering questions that needed long, detailed responses about my background, plus more story ideas with the prompt 'things that Elite Daily doesn't currently cover.' It was really extensive. After that, I got asked to do a video interview with one of the editors and another writer. They seemed nice and professional enough, but the interview felt awkward, which I guess was just nerves since I'm normally fine in interviews. They kept saying how much they loved my work, my writing style, my ideas, my background, and my articles, even gushing about one specific article. The interview was pretty short, about 10-20 minutes. They told me they'd let me know by the end of the week after I did a few more interviews. By Friday, the editor emailed me saying there was an unexpected delay and they'd get back to me as soon as possible. Right before they rejected me, I saw some of my writing test work pop up on the site. It was tweaked a bit and turned into a 'new' article by someone else, obviously. At first, I thought it was a good sign because they were using my ideas, my material, my sources, and so on. I was hopeful and in denial, totally sure I'd get hired because they clearly liked my work so much that they rewrote the very article the editor claimed to love. But that's not what happened. A few weeks later, I got an email from the editor explaining they had chosen someone else, that they only had space for one writer, and that the competition was really tough with tons of applicants. They also mentioned that if I was still interested, they'd be happy to stay in touch in early 2021. I said yes, but it felt weird how long their rejection was. I was also worried this vague offer was just to distract me. Naturally, I wanted to know who they hired instead. I watched the site for months and months, waiting for a new writer to show up. It never happened. It was always the same writers, but with new content, including mine. Plus, they never contacted me. And that's not all I noticed. When I didn't get hired, I first blamed my inability to relax during our Zoom call. Clearly, they didn't like something about me or preferred someone else, and that's fine. The work wasn't really mine anymore since I'd already given it to them. But I was stunned. I started looking into other people who had interviewed with Bustle and BDG (which owns Elite Daily), and I found lots of writers who suspected and complained about their work being stolen after an unpaid, extensive writing test where they were asked for pitches and articles. Many also thought it strange that they were prompted for so many pitches only to be told the job didn't involve pitching, and then they realized their pitches and articles were already on the site. Lesson learned: I should have researched this company beforehand, and you should too. After learning all I know now about this company targeting millennial women, its male CEO, and their practices, I feel foolish for even applying. I don't recommend this experience for any self-respecting female writer who cares about their reputation or their work. There are better and more honest ways to come up with fresh ideas than stealing from people who are eager to please. Maybe they do hire some of the people they interview occasionally, but it seems like the vast majority have their work stolen time and time again. So consider this a warning.