Icon Media Direct Interview Questions
& Process

The job spec mentioned MCMC and Bayesian inference, which I thought was pretty cool given how stats has evolved. Turns out, I was wrong about their data science maturity. After a 30-minute phone chat, I had an in-person interview. They said it would be "lots of whiteboarding" and last 2 hours, so I prepped for that. But, the room had no whiteboard, and it only went for an hour. Two VPs interviewed me, mostly asking about my past data science work. I went deep on my marketing mix modeling experience. The data science questions were odd, like asking how I'd code gradient descent or OLS minimization. I haven't coded core algorithms like that in 15 years, not since I wrote my own SVM. With Python and R libraries, it's kinda dumb to code that stuff now. I wouldn't even code my own sentiment analyzer anymore, which I did 5 years ago. Google's SAAS does it super cheap. Their need for that skill suggests leadership isn't up-to-speed with modern data science tools. Relying on a "roll-your-own" approach for their roadmap will be costly, time-consuming, and buggy. Oh well, it's a good gig for a new grad though, they'll learn tons.

I applied online for a Media Buyer Planner position. After my first interview and a good two+ hours of testing, I got a call almost immediately saying things went well. They then asked if I'd be interested in another role in a growing division. I thought it sounded great! They asked me to prepare a presentation about my vision for the role, including timelines and resources, and come back that week to present to the President and CEO. It was a bit stressful with short notice, but totally worth it! Less than 24 hours after my presentation, they offered me the job.

I applied in May 2020 and again in September 2020. I had an interview with the hiring manager at the end of September. I followed up but didn't hear back until the end of October, at which point I had already accepted another job offer. I still agreed to interview with Icon Media Direct out of politeness. They gave me a 4-hour test, which I felt I did well on. Then I had an interview with HR, who asked if I would accept a lower salary before we had even gotten to the final interviews. I inquired about the benefits package, as I'd heard they only offer Kaiser plans, which I don't prefer. They stated they don't typically discuss benefits until later, yet they were open to negotiating salary at that stage. Some interviewers were pleasant, though one seemed uneasy when asked about the office culture. Despite follow-ups via email and phone, I only received a generic email stating they were still seeking other candidates, with no specific feedback about the role or my application. It's their loss. My advice to others is to read the reviews and avoid this company. Good luck!

I was brought on site for an interview for the TA role, but before the actual interview, I was told I had to take a Microsoft Office test including Excel formulas. Everyone has to pass these tests to continue. If you fail any part of the test, you are immediately sent home without a real interview. I think this is unfair because it doesn't allow them to get to know you as a person, and for a TA role, knowing Excel formulas isn't usually required. If a company likes your resume, they should at least give you a face-to-face interview first, and then have you do the skills tests if you pass.