USA TODAY Interview Questions
& Process

The interview wasn't great. We emailed back and forth all weekend and then we set up a time for a phone interview that was less than 24 hours later. Then when the time came around, I waited and waited and waited and she never called. After about 20 minutes of waiting, I looked up her number to call her. When she answered, she had no idea who I was, why I was calling and she even tried to deny that we had an interview set up at all. After I basically had to convince her to interview me, she didn't know which job I was applying for, she didn't look up my resume or application and she didn't know anything about me. I had to explain in detail every piece of my resume because she didn't look it up. It was very disappointing because this is pretty much my dream job and I felt I wasn't being taken seriously at all. After a couple of follow ups, she hasn't gotten back to me once.

The interview process at USA Today mainly uses behavioral interviews with a set list of questions. Everyone I met was really open, friendly, and generally positive. However, USA Today has this bad habit of never following up. They just kind of ghost you, assuming you'll get the hint, which is strange for a company that's all about communication. After multiple interviews, despite me trying to follow up with letters, emails, and voicemails to HR, there was zero response. It's just basic courtesy to let a candidate know you've gone with someone else.

I had a recruiter phone screen that was set up via a meeting invite. I had to reschedule other meetings to make it work because they didn't seem flexible on time. The recruiter called on time but seemed unsure about the role she was interviewing for, needing time to find her notes because she'd spoken to so many people. After a lot of shuffling, she described the role, still sounding a bit uncertain. She then asked me questions that she could have figured out by reading my resume. I figured maybe she was just having an off day. She said she'd follow up within a couple of days with feedback, emphasizing its importance. However, after more than three business days, I reached out for an update. I sent two more messages over the next couple of weeks, but got no response at all. She completely ghosted me. She was disorganized and didn't follow through. It gave me a really bad impression of the company, especially for the role I applied for. I hope their actual business isn't that chaotic and unprofessional.

I had a first call with HR where they asked general questions. About three weeks later, I was invited for an interview with marketing management. During the interview, the HR person repeated the same questions from the initial call, which was a bit unusual. The presentation lasted about an hour and mainly involved behavioral questions like 'What are you looking for in a boss?'. I felt engaged and comfortable, and the team showed me their work and the type of projects they undertake. I believed I would be a good fit. However, they never contacted me with feedback. I reached out twice but received no response.