Olson Interview Questions
& Process

It was a pretty straightforward interview process, no unnecessary steps. I liked that they included an assignment, as it's a good way to see if someone can actually use their skills and knowledge, not just answer questions.

The interview process was pretty standard, but it was slow and unprofessional. I first had a phone interview with ICF's recruiter. Then, I had an introductory phone interview with my potential manager. After that, I didn't hear from Olson for a couple of weeks, so I emailed them. A week later, I had to do a second phone interview with a different recruiter, which felt redundant. After that, I had an in-person interview with four employees, two of whom joined via Skype. They said they wanted to decide quickly, so I expected to hear back soon. Two weeks passed without any news, so I emailed again. The following week, I got an email saying they were still reviewing candidates. I later found out that the day before I emailed, they had reposted the job with the same ID! They obviously decided I wasn't the right fit but didn't bother to tell me when they replied to my email. This was unprofessional and inconsiderate, especially since I spent three hours interviewing at their office.

Applied online and was contacted a little over a week later. Received a call stating interviews would start the beginning of the next week, with final interviews by the end of that week, and a start date the following Monday, making the entire interview process one week long. My phone interview was at the start of the next week with a recruiter in Minneapolis for a San Francisco-based position. The interviewer seemed indecisive and gave conflicting signals, which struck me as odd for an initial interview. The questions focused more on my college coursework rather than my actual work experience, skills, or work style. Since the job posting was unclear, I inquired about the job responsibilities and a typical day. The recruiter was unsure, vaguely mentioning some research and writing might be involved but couldn't confirm. It's perplexing how they can assess candidates without knowing the role's specifics. At the interview's end, I was told I'd hear back in about 1.5 to 2 weeks, which confused me given the stated start date. I was asked to send writing samples, a letter of recommendation, and references, which I did. No response was received, so I followed up after two weeks to express continued interest. It's now been another month with no further communication, not even an automated reply.

It started with a 30 minute phone call where they asked about my background, why I was interested in PR, what news I followed, and specifically why I was interested in Olson. Then there was an in-person interview. It was an hour long with 10-15 minute intervals meeting with two people. After that, there was a writing test. For the test, I had to draft an email pitch, make a short media list, and write about how I'd research a potential client's media usage. Everyone was super nice and awesome! I really enjoyed talking with everyone and would recommend this process for college students wanting PR experience. They're cool with people who don't have PR experience, you just gotta show you're eager to work there.