Travelzoo Assistant Producer Interview Questions
& Process

My interview experience with Travelzoo was great. They were super quick to get back to me and scheduled everything fast. It was a 6-step process: first a written submission, then a phone call with HR in Chicago. After that, I had an in-person interview with my direct manager that lasted about an hour and a half, where she asked a lot about my background and why I'd be a good fit. Then, I had a Skype interview with the Director, which was a bit intimidating at first, but I prepared by doing some research the night before. Following that, I interviewed with the CEO via Skype. The final step was a trip to New York to meet with the Founder and CTO. I did a lot of research on everyone I met with, looking up their backgrounds and anticipating who I'd be speaking with. I also researched past candidate questions and the company's products and background thoroughly before each interview. The most important thing for this company seems to be clearly and passionately explaining why you want to work for Travelzoo and why you believe in their product, showing your love for travel.

There were a few parts to the interview: a phone call, a written test, and then a bunch of in-person interviews. Even though I applied for a job in NYC, the phone interview and all the communication seemed to come from their Chicago office, but the people were nice and seemed to know their stuff. The writing test wasn't too hard, but it was timed, so I couldn't really go back and fix my mistakes like I wanted to. The first in-person interview was pretty standard. A Senior Producer talked to me for about 90 minutes and then asked if two of his coworkers could join. One of them was clearly annoyed about being pulled out of a meeting, and he asked me some quick, sharp questions before leaving. So, my tip is to be ready for unexpected people to show up during your interview. They basically told me I had the job if I wanted it, and I just needed one more 30-minute call with a big boss in Chicago. They said they'd call within 3 days to set it up. A week later, I hadn't heard anything, so I followed up. They said because of travel schedules, it would be another week. But then, right before Christmas, I got a generic rejection email.

It was a really long process for an entry-level role. It kicked off with a brief chat with HR. A few days later, there was a more extensive 30-40 minute call with HR, covering my current role, my interests, my knowledge of the company, and my motivation for this particular job. Following that, I had a 40-60 minute interview, which was supposed to be in-person or a video call between offices, but ended up being a video call from home. This part involved many questions about the industry, the company, its competitors, and its operational methods, along with some competency-based questions. After the interview, I had two 30-minute tests: one where I had to write a deal proposal, and another where I needed to calculate financial returns and compare two deal options. I didn't end up getting an offer, but they did provide some feedback, which was appreciated. The feedback was a bit frustrating, essentially saying they liked me and I had good experience, but not enough specific industry experience. Despite the outcome, the HR person handling everything was excellent, lovely, and very helpful throughout the entire process.