Journal Technologies Interview Questions
& Process

This non-senior Technical Writer role took almost two and a half months to fill, involving four 45-minute Microsoft Teams calls. The hiring process was unusually long, likely due to scheduling issues at Journal Technologies, despite the job posting being active for a short period. It's concerning that a non-senior role's hiring process extended over two months, a sentiment echoed by others. After my last interview, I followed up with the recruiter after about eight days but received no response. A personalized status update would have been appreciated instead of being ghosted. I eventually received a generic email from the Rippling ATS system 15 days after the fourth interview. Journal Technologies uses Rippling, which has a scheduling feature where applicants pick interview slots from a seven-day window. I always responded immediately, but interview dates weren't provided for about five days, and I typically only got about two days' notice before an interview. Usually, when calendaring systems are used, I get a confirmation within 48 hours. It shouldn't take four to seven days to finalize an interview, as interviewers should have their availability pre-loaded. This is an area where automation could really help. I suspect internal discussions or meetings happened between interview rounds to determine interview order. This is disrespectful to applicants who often manage multiple interviews. My advice for applicants: when given scheduling options, choose dates toward the end of the available range to keep your schedule flexible for other opportunities. I had to resubmit my availability multiple times to accommodate other companies. The four interviews were with a recruiter, two senior team members individually, and finally, a group interview with two other technical writers. I'm unsure if there was a director-level interview since the recruiter offered no feedback throughout the process. They requested writing samples, which I provided by linking to my portfolio on my resume and updating its content. Despite sending thank-you notes and portfolio links, I received no replies from the recruiter or team. I appreciated the recruiter using Teams for the initial interview, as it's more accessible than a phone call. The third interviewer was about 15 minutes late and had a hard stop at the end of the hour, leaving no time for my questions. I couldn't reach the recruiter for assistance. This interviewer asked some questions already covered by the previous senior writer, claiming they were required. She experienced technical difficulties with her camera, and immediately after it started working, my camera failed. Trying a different camera didn't help. I tested my camera post-interview with Teams and Zoom and couldn't replicate the issue, as both internal and external cameras worked fine. Without recruiter follow-up, I don't know if the shortened, video-less interview impacted my candidacy. This specific interview was challenging, with some questions about less common Git commands seeming more suited for a developer. Both senior technical writers had backgrounds in development or engineering, influencing their questions. Three interviews were generally relaxed, though some questions were difficult. The final interview focused heavily on soft skills and collaboration. No demo or preview of their technical documentation was provided, leaving me uncertain about the specific tasks involved. If you apply to Journal Technologies, don't expect personal emails from the recruiter or for them to accept a LinkedIn connection request, unlike the CEO of the parent company. Connecting with applicants on LinkedIn should be part of the recruiting role and would make applicants feel more valued. Companies should send personalized rejection emails to candidates who reach later interview stages. Sending a generic rejection with a warm closing after minimal personal interaction beyond automated emails is likely detrimental to the company's reputation. While I enjoyed meeting the team and would have liked to work with them, the lengthy and impersonal process makes me hesitant to reapply. My recommendation for those with job security is that you might have the time and patience for this automated process for a non-senior role. However, if you're facing layoffs, it's better to seek opportunities at companies with faster, more interactive hiring processes like Apple, SAS, or a legal publishing company.

I started by submitting an online application. About a month later, a recruiter reached out for an initial video call screening. It was a pretty laid-back 30-minute chat where they asked about my background, why I was interested in the job, what book I was reading, and how I handle stress.

The interview process was good and uncomplicated. They asked reasonable questions about my background and experience. It was a good experience, and the company seemed focused on hiring good people to help them move forward. Overall, it was a positive interaction.

I went through a few phone interviews first, then a group interview with the sales team at the Logan, Utah office. After that, I had another meeting where I had to do a software demo. The rest was just paperwork and sorting out the offer, which had some back and forth but got sorted quickly. They were pretty flexible on the start date, which was good.