SPJA Interview Questions
& Process

The overall interview experience was professional yet relaxed. The interviewers were very friendly, making it easy to ask questions and they were flexible when scheduling the interview time. There were quite a few interviews, but this was mainly to ensure they hired a good fit for the role.

I applied last year, and after my resume was eventually reviewed, things moved pretty fast. There was a quick phone call, then a FaceTime interview, followed by an in-person interview with the same person. The interviewer was nice, and I didn't know about the offer until I got a verbal one.

It was a confusing interview. I was interviewed by a Division Manager, Assistant Division Manager (both managers are from the same department) and HR. Initially, you do not realize the office dynamics, but once they start asking questions and discuss about the description of Artist Alley job, you soon realize they are not all on the same page. The Division Manager had to rephrase the same questions multiple times and had to reiterate that if I was to be hired, I would be paid for my duties which would often happen after office hours, since, the position would require to work side by side with volunteers. Whereas, the Assistant Division Manager and HR were leaning towards when working after hours, the position would turn into a volunteer position. Reminder, this position is a paid position as posted on multiple job sites. Why, it was confusing because the Division Manager says the position is paid, but you realize the HR works with accounting and you get the sense of you aren't going to get paid for all the hours you work. The biggest thing was it's a part-time contract job, that may eventually turn into a part-time after the event in July. However, from the interviewing process you get the sense of it's not a guaranteed part-time job after the event ends in July. Plus, you get the feeling that Hr (especially) would prefer to put a volunteer into the position and groom them into eventual paid position - or better yet find another volunteer for next year.

I got an interview pretty fast after applying, but the whole process was a mess. Three people were there: the manager and assistant manager from the same department, and HR. You find out fast that just cuz it's a small place, they don't talk to each other. They all had different ideas about the job I was interviewing for. Most of the time, the manager had to explain what her colleagues were saying. The job is supposed to be paid, and the posting didn't say anything about volunteering your own time, but the assistant manager and HR expected you to 'volunteer' your time. You also learn they aren't on the same page about how to deal with clients or the job duties. One person thinks you should just fix small issues, another wants you to do the actual job description and maybe more, and the third person wanted you to focus on training and making sure volunteers showed up on time, expecting to only hear from you on weekends or after hours, and during conventions.