Encyclopædia Britannica Interview Questions
& Process

I had interviews with 3 interviewers for the Team Lead Developer position at Melingo, a sub-company of Britanica. After the interviews, I tried to get a response from the interviewer multiple times (over 5 times), but she disappeared. I sent 6 messages over a month with vague replies like 'we will get back to you' or 'I'll have answers hopefully next week'. Last week, I followed up again, and she gave an excuse about being sick for a whole month. It's surprising that a company like Britannica, with its sub-company Melingo, would allow a candidate to be left in the dark for a month without any updates. If this is how they treat candidates, it makes you wonder about their internal operations. If you're thinking of applying, reconsider.

I was surprised by how abrasive and yet sometimes kind the recruiter was during the phone screening. She was really direct about salary, cutting me off when I said my expectations depended on benefits and commission, calling it evasive, and demanding a specific range. After she went on a rant, my range ended up being on target. When I told her I appreciated her directness, she seemed to soften, and the conversation became more professional. She only asked two questions: 'How do you stay motivated when facing challenges?' and 'How do you manage tight deadlines?'. These felt a bit specific for an entry-level sales role, and I was already a bit shaken. When I asked about a typical day and training because mentoring is important to me as I'm changing careers, she responded dismissively, like I shouldn't have asked, saying 'Why would I know that? That’s something the person on the team would know.' Her tone implied it was a dumb question. If you're interviewing, be ready for the salary question.

I was contacted by HR for an initial vetting. They asked some questions about how I'd handle working with subject matter experts. The questions were good, but the HR person was so tense and aggravated I wanted to end the call. She said something like, "Not that what you're selling is irrelevant but ..." which was dumbfounding. If HR acts like that, I'd hate to have an issue with the company. Surprisingly, she moved me to the next level. I winced, wondering if the editor would be as mean. But the editor was pleasant and friendly. If you can avoid HR, you'd likely enjoy working here. I was disappointed the unpaid editing test was three hours long, which felt excessive given my background, but I did my best.

The interview process began with a technical interview via Zoom with the VP of SEO and BI. He was friendly, communicated well, and was a good listener. The questions felt like a fair assessment with no trick questions, which is appreciated. I felt like I was being thoroughly assessed, but didn't have too much of a chance to do my own assessment of the business and the role within the time for the call. Maybe I should have interrupted sooner. But he did kindly stay a few minutes over our scheduled time to allow me a couple questions. Ultimately I withdrew after this stage. I'm already in a job I really like, and I didn't feel like I was really "sold" on why I should leave my current role for this one. Next steps would have involved a "take-home assessment" that really would've only taken 20 minutes, so no complaints. Then a 2nd interview with the CIO.