Vox Media Interview Questions
& Process

I went through a process at Vox Media where I talked to the recruiter, the hiring manager, and the SVP. Then, they sent me a big assignment with 7 parts that took a lot of time. After I sent it back, I didn't hear anything, not even a confirmation or a thank you. I followed up with the recruiter twice, but they just ghosted me. I know hiring can be tough and not everyone gets through, but a little communication, like confirming they got my work, would have been nice. That basic respect was missing.

This was a really long and tough interview process. There was a lot of waiting around between interviews, and it was never really clear what they were looking for. The people were nice and friendly, but their communication and efficiency were really bad. I hope they eventually found what they needed. I felt like my time was wasted, especially since they asked me to write a script in addition to all the interviewing and waiting. I didn't get to the final round (I think it was the fourth round?) with the social media team, but I'm not even sure if that was the last one. Maybe there were even more rounds!

It was a pretty easy process, and overall a good experience. The main things to do to stand out are to really dig into the backgrounds of the people who will be interviewing you and to research their past work and their team. Definitely come with questions prepared - make sure you know enough to keep track of what you're looking for and what to watch out for. Also, be clear about who is hiring you and what you bring to the table.

I applied for the Video Fellow position at VOX in August 2021. This was the second year for the fellowship program. A recruiter reached out via email for a first-round phone interview. They mentioned it's an entry-level role and they're looking for someone eager to learn video production, starting in October. All Vox Media fellowships are entry-level and begin in October. After the first interview, I had a second interview over Zoom with the senior researcher for the video team. During this video interview, the senior researcher explained that the fellowship is actually just a research and fact-checking job, basically an Associate Producer role focused solely on researching and fact-checking video stories. This means no actual hands-on experience with shooting or editing video using software like Adobe Premiere, DaVinci Resolve, Final Cut Pro, or Avid Media Composer. No video cameras, no non-linear editing, and no portfolio pieces for future employers. Vox essentially uses Video Fellows as unpaid interns, who don't really gain much or learn from the position. They only produce videos every three weeks. The job description should be clearer about the lack of hands-on learning and that the role is strictly for research and fact-checking. The senior researcher also frequently responded with "I don't know" to my questions about Vox, the company, equality, inclusivity, and the role itself. After that, I was given a take-home test with a deadline. The prompt was about the 1966 Compton's Cafeteria Riot and asked about my story development process, starting and ending points, crucial visuals with sources, five research sources, and three potential headlines. If selected, the next step would have been speaking with two management-level employees. I later found out Vox removed the position about a week after I submitted my test. They sent a generic rejection email stating they were moving forward with other candidates whose skillsets were a closer match. I'm honestly glad I didn't get the position, as it wasn't a real learning opportunity for video production. Do your research before applying to Vox!