Maxwell PR Interview Questions
& Process

I was excited to get an interview with Maxwell. I went through three 45-minute rounds. After the third round, they said they'd decide the next week. I thought I was a lock since the third interview went so well. I was wrong. I followed up many times and never heard back - it's been four weeks since my last interview. It felt like a waste of my time and theirs. It's super unprofessional to tell someone you'll let them know and then ghost them. Maybe I dodged a bullet.

It began with a chat with an account supervisor at Maxwell to see if we were a good fit. I then applied online. After that, I had a Skype interview with the managing director, which was nerve-wracking because I didn't know much about PR. Then, I met with a group of Maxwell employees in person, which felt more like a casual conversation. I was given a mock assignment and a supplemental application to complete. I enjoyed the assignment because it involved creative writing. Once I submitted those, the managing director contacted my references. About a week later, I got the great news!

I interviewed for a CM position at Maxwell back in Jan 2018. It was an in-person interview that went great. They then sent me an assignment to complete. I'm not a big fan of doing unpaid work for potential employers, but I really wanted this job so I did it. It was a big assignment, took me about 5 hours. After I submitted it, they contacted me for a final interview. I figured I was a strong candidate at that point. I sent out my thank you notes and everything. Two weeks later, still no word, so I sent a follow-up email. Never heard back. Not even a rejection. Super unprofessional and rude. If they treat good candidates like this, I can't imagine what working there is like. Guess I dodged a bullet.

The interview process started with a casual Facetime chat where it seemed like they hadn't reviewed my portfolio. They mainly asked about negative reviews from my previous jobs. Then, I had an in-person interview with the Social Media Analyst and one of the VPs, which was much better and a good chance to learn about the company and the role. Finally, there was a take-home assignment. After talking to others who had done it for this role, it seemed like the company isn't great at evaluating candidates just on one assignment. I spent over 8 hours on it and didn't hear back for more than 3 weeks. Despite trying to reach out several times, I eventually got told they chose someone else, with no feedback or transparency about the assignment. Honestly, take-home assignments are a terrible way to assess someone's potential. Reading other negative reviews for this job, I'm glad I avoided working at a company with a very skewed gender ratio and a toxic, drama-filled environment, as many current employees have shared.