Extremely disappointing and unprofessional interview process!
I applied online, passed the screener with the recruiter, then went to in-person interviews at their office on separate occasions. Then nothing. Completely ghosted by the recruiter and the team hiring.
For my second in-person interview, I was required to prepare a presentation ahead of time. After I delivered the presentation, I was then told by one of the team members that we'll now move on to the second portion of the presentation. What? I had no idea what they were talking about. After giving a curious look, the team member said "Oh, did HR not tell you this part when they sent you the other materials? Uhhh.... okay well here you go, you have 10 minutes."
Needless to say, I was pretty furious. But I sucked it up and got it done. After presenting 'Part 2,' additional team members were brought so I can learn more about what the team does. Needless to say, I was pretty furious. But I sucked it up and got it done. After presenting 'Part 2,' additional team members were brought so I can learn more about what the team does. One of the people in the room was extremely friendly and provided a lot of information, while the other one kept checking her manicure and peeling polish off her nails. It was distracting and rude, but I carried on. Once that was over, I was walked out with the two people that I would be working the closest with. After the interview, I was required to send over part 2 of my presentation to HR, which I did immediately after returning to my office. Never got a reply from HR, followed up… nothing. I even followed up with the team members, and never received a response. I get that sometimes it just doesn't work out, but this is not how you should treat applicants, especially those deep in the hiring process.
I know the BBC is of course a big name in this industry, but that does not mean they should be excused for so rudely wasting people’s time. We have to take time away from our current jobs to go to in-person interviews, and we have to take time out of our personal life to do what was essentially free work. I don’t like that I gave them my ideas and presentation for them to possibly refer back to for their work in the future, when they didn't even have the decency to send an automated rejection email.