Oxford University Press Sales Representative Interview Questions
& Process

I applied online and had an initial interview, which seemed okay. The feedback I got a week later, though, was condescending, blunt, and rude, especially since it was just an introductory interview. This feedback made me not want to apply for other roles at OUP or recommend the company. Reading other reviews and knowing about recent layoffs, I feel like I dodged a bullet. The takeover of another publisher seems to have just been about taking assets, with no care for the employees who are now facing redundancies. Their digitization strategy seems really outdated.

I applied online through their portal which was straightforward. Then, I received an email for the first interview, and they sent helpful reminders and offered various time slots. This interview was with two staff members and included typical questions. About a week later, I got invited for a second interview that required me to prepare and deliver a presentation on their sales techniques and products. I had the chance to ask for more details about the task and decided to focus on researching OUP products. I prepared a presentation and was given two dates the following week to choose from. One interviewer from the second round was familiar, and the other was new. Both were friendly in both interviews. The whole process was efficient and helpful. A week and a half after the second interview, I got the job offer. I was a bit anxious waiting, but I'm thrilled with the outcome. The entire process, from applying on Sept 20th to accepting on Nov 5th, took a little over a month. The job description wasn't totally accurate about the role's day-to-day (e.g., I might do more marketing than expected, and the client types were clarified during interviews). Asking questions during the process was beneficial and not an issue. I was fortunate to have other offers from well-regarded companies during this time, but I'm accepting OUP enthusiastically because of the staff retention and how dynamic and caring the company seems. I'm really looking forward to starting.

Had a phone interview first, then got invited to interview at the NYC office. HR gave me a doc with pre-determined questions. The interviewer looked over them and wrote down my answers. I was a bit nervous since it was my first interview, so my responses were short and the whole thing took about 15 minutes. I sent a thank you note after. I didn't hear back by the response date, so I read some articles suggesting another follow-up. I called the interviewer directly to see if I should still be interested in the job for the summer. She said she was waiting for the department's approval before making an offer. Two days later, she emailed an official offer, and I was really happy.