PBS Interview Questions
& Process

Interviewed with the Hiring Manager for the Event Manager role, had a great interview, and was told there would be another round. I was overqualified. The hiring manager then ghosted me and never followed up. I couldn't tell if they decided not to hire the role or what happened.

It was a really thorough and in-depth interview process with questions that really made me think on my feet. The whole thing was broken down into three main parts: first, a general get-to-know-you chat, then a stage focused on my competencies, and finally, an interview with the Head of Department. They asked a lot about my core skills and past experiences.

I went through two interviews, one of which was virtual. The interviews felt pretty chill and friendly. This was a new role so they didn't have any established processes or policies yet. The person hired would be doing a lot of the heavy lifting for the department. They told me I was a top candidate and would be invited for an in-person interview, which I was looking forward to. It all seemed to be going well. Then, they just went silent.

I applied online for the Content Management Specialist role at the main headquarters, which is a contract position for up to six months, with a chance for extension if funding allows. About two weeks later, I got an email for a phone interview. During the interview, they talked about the contracted position and mentioned that not many people in the US are watching the company's local public TV affiliates. They also shared a personal story about how they struggled to get a job at the main headquarters and ended up taking a contractor role, hinting that this position is outsourced through a staffing firm. The interviewer shared a sob story about their journalism career and job search, possibly to seem sympathetic. This position is a contractor role, not directly employed by the company but hired through a staffing firm. The role involves independent work within the team to support company staff and Member Stations by managing content across various knowledge management tools. After the phone interview where they asked about my content management experience (which I didn't have but was willing to learn), I followed up with calls and emails but got no response. On December 16, 2019, I received an automated email stating they were moving forward with other candidates whose skills and experience more closely matched their requirements. It seems they weren't interested in hiring me at all.