Wirecutter Interview Questions
& Process

I applied for an entry-level role back in early September and went through a pretty extensive process. It involved five interviews and a detailed take-home assignment that took me about 4-5 hours and over 10 pages to complete, as I really wanted to meet what I thought were The New York Times' high standards. I followed up several times after my last interview, where I got really good feedback on my assignment, but the decision timeline kept getting pushed back. Eventually, I just got an automated rejection email with no feedback or explanation. I get that they can't give everyone feedback, but after investing so much time and effort, especially taking unpaid time off for the interviews and assignment, getting a generic email was really disappointing. It felt off for a company like The New York Times. I think they could really improve by communicating more openly and offering constructive feedback, especially after such a thorough process.

A recruiter first reached out to gauge my interest in the role. After that, I went through what felt like 6 interview rounds over a 3-month span. These interviews involved different team members, with a few brief recruiter check-ins interspersed. The whole process was pretty lengthy, with some waiting time between stages, but everyone I spoke with was really friendly and seemed genuinely enthusiastic. I got a solid feel for the team and their goals within the company before eventually getting an offer.

The interview process started out great. The recruiter was lovely and communicated well. Subsequent interviews were timely and went well too. However, once it was time for the writing test, all communication ceased. I wasn't given a timeline for feedback, so I waited a couple of weeks before following up. I received an update saying they were still gathering feedback and would respond within the week. Another month passed with no word. I figured they were ghosting me, so I sent one last follow-up to check the role's status. The recruiter didn't respond, but I quickly got a generic no-reply email saying I was no longer a candidate. The subject line was 'phone screening,' so I'll never know if the recruiter was even aware I'd gotten far in the process and was waiting for feedback on a writing sample. Regardless, I never heard from them again. I get that talent teams are busy, but it's disheartening when ghosting candidates so late in the process becomes the norm, especially for someone who was really excited about the role.

I had a screening call. The interviewer didn't schedule it or let me know they were calling, so it was unexpected and I stumbled over my words. They sounded annoyed from the start and their tone was sharp. They asked my salary expectations and said it was too high for their budget, which they stated was around $50-62k. I said I'd take less because I was very interested. After that, I felt they weren't listening and had already dismissed me. They mentioned someone would call by the end of the week about moving forward. Weeks later, I got an email saying they hired someone else.