J. Walter Thompson Worldwide Interview Questions
& Process

So I had a phone interview with HR, it was about 30 minutes long and they asked standard stuff about my background and goals, then talked about the job. After that, they invited me for an in-person interview. The in-person was with the department head and hiring manager. It was pretty chill, like a conversation, no strict questions. They mostly wanted to know about my past work and my tech skills. The only good part was it wasn't too much hassle, just one in-person meeting. But honestly, it took forever, like two months from applying to interviewing, and the staff seemed unprofessional, like one manager admitted he hadn't read my resume and kept checking his phone. They said HR would call by the end of the month with a decision. I followed up but heard nothing. I wouldn't bother with them again.

The agency staff were super nice and welcoming. The interviews seemed to always happen in the company's garden. The recruiters were in a rush, which really hampered the selection process because I barely had time to talk about my skills or sell myself, lol. It was the same situation as at other companies: they advertised an internship but wanted someone with experience. In the feedback, they said they preferred someone who already had experience in the field, so it wasn't really an internship opening. The process was quick too, I got feedback within a week.

I was called in for a chat with an Account Director at one of the offices in Asia. We spoke about my previous experience and we had a pleasant introductory chat, which soon became slightly awkward. She mentioned that the account she was directing was separate from JWT, and therefore, I would feel like I'm working in a different company. She then followed by asking me how I would feel to work very often until midnight and sometimes even 3-4 am. When I expressed my sincere discomfort with that idea, she replied by telling me how she also didn't like her life to be like that but the job requires what it requires, and went on ranting for a while.

It was a really interesting interview process with some very knowledgeable people. It felt challenging and a bit daunting. We started with a complete online application that had different questions and took about an hour. Then, there was a 1:1 interview with the Head of Planning and HR. They were more interested in learning about you and how you think, rather than your academic stuff. It's key to show you have courage and curiosity, rather than trying to impress them with your grades.