ESPN Associate Interview Questions
& Process

I started out looking for a part-time gig, but ended up getting offered a full-time role instead. The first chat was with the Program Director, it was pretty chill and we both asked a bunch of questions. Then I talked to the Assistant Program Director, same kind of vibe. The next day, I had to interview with the General Manager. It was a little nerve-wracking at first, but we discovered we knew a lot of the same people, so it got easier and we just talked. After that, I had a 20-minute phone call with the Director who managed this affiliate. All the interviews went well; talking about the business and my past experiences really seemed to show what I could do.

I applied for this role through a temp agency, which I didn't love because you feel disconnected from the company. The agency recruiter called me a day or two after I applied and thought I'd be a good fit for the Associate Producer temp job. When I agreed to have my info sent to ESPN, the hiring manager at ESPN contacted the recruiter the same day with concerns about my resume's lack of sports experience. The recruiter had me write a response about my sports interest, and after a week of no news, I was worried. My recruiter then told me ESPN wanted a phone-screen interview. On the day of the scheduled call, ESPN never called because the recruiter mistakenly scheduled an in-person interview instead! The recruiter was really embarrassed but rescheduled me for the following week. I had my interview with the producer I'd be working under, who was pretty casual. I felt good about it, and the questions were standard, not too many sports-specific ones like I feared. He asked about my experience, sports I follow, and ESPN shows. The interview was about 30 minutes, then he gave me a tour and we talked more about the job. He said they'd decide the next week. I found out two weeks later they chose someone else, but I still thought it was a good interview process overall. Just make sure you're prepared with recent sports knowledge and info about the company.

The process started with a phone interview, followed by an in-person interview with the hiring manager. The interviews themselves were standard, asking behavioral questions like "tell me about a time when...". However, the follow-up was really unprofessional because it was basically non-existent. I tried contacting the hiring manager and HR rep multiple times over months for an update, and if I got a response, it was always a generic "we're still deciding." There's a website to check your status, and it didn't change for months. I eventually found out through LinkedIn that they hired someone else, which is fine, but the lack of communication was bothersome. I never got an official rejection, which is okay if I had just applied, but after an in-person interview, I think they owe a courtesy notification when you're out of the running. Just my two cents.