The Atlanta Journal-Constitution Interview Questions
& Process

First, there was a Teams or Zoom screen with the Talent Acquisition/Human Resources person. I was really impressed with the TA person. Then, I had a Teams or Zoom interview with the hiring manager. The last interview was a Teams or Zoom interview with a panel.

The hiring process at The AJC was quite lengthy. I initially flew in from Florida for an interview, then returned home. After a month of no contact, I was invited for a second interview, which involved two interviews. I flew back again. A couple of weeks later, I received an offer with a two-week start date, which I managed to extend by a week. The interviews were standard for a large company. One interviewer, the CFO, was very laid back and let the hiring director make the decision after a 30-minute chat.

So I interviewed for two roles over seven weeks, a Senior Account Executive for National Accounts and an Account Manager for Local Sales. This company, Cox Media, has had a lot of reorganizations and layoffs, making it seem disorganized with no clear vision and bad communication. They're now focusing on customer service and consultative selling because past reps messed things up. They let go of underperformers and are now hiring again. I first spoke with a Recruiter who answered my questions and asked what I was looking for. He mentioned the company used to keep mediocre employees but is trying to change that by hiring externally. The Senior Account Executive role was in Major Accounts. The person currently in the role wasn't selling but stayed in another job, which made management really cautious. The Recruiter advised me to be more conversational than aggressive. After weeks, it was between me and an internal candidate. The manager wanted me to prove I could sell, but even after giving references, they said I couldn't prove it. My references said no one contacted them, and the internal candidate got the job. Getting feedback and hearing back took over six weeks. The Recruiter then suggested I interview for a new Account Manager role, but he didn't know much beyond a long, confusing job description. He punted my questions to the Manager, implying he didn't understand it either, and said it was a new position. I met with the Regional Sales Manager to understand the role. He spent most of the time talking, drawing flowcharts, and explaining it in a very long, difficult-to-follow way. I mentioned my Account Management experience, but he only asked two questions before ending the interview. He told the Recruiter he liked our chat but felt I didn't sell myself enough. An internal candidate got this job too. I'm wondering if I was a real candidate or just a box to check for the Recruiter. If AJC wants to fix their sales issues, they should look outside instead of staying in their 'glass house'.

Met my future boss at a job fair and was immediately offered an interview. A few days later, I went in for the interview, which also gave me details on what the job actually entails. After that, I met another person from the same department and then I met someone who is currently doing the job. It was a good interview process overall.