I have interviewed more than once for reporting jobs across the Crain family of publications, and over time as I met and interacted with people there, I realized the whole process was disingenuous. I came to believe I was only invited to an interview just so they could fill a DEI applicant quota, which given what I've heard about Crain on this front seems to be on brand with that. One occasion that stands out was the time I interviewed for a position with Ad Age. One of people on the editorial team whom I interviewed with seemed to treat me as if I was a nuisance on her schedule for that day and a general waste of her time. I hadn't heard from them for a few weeks afterward, and when I emailed that team member in question and asked about the status of my application, she tersely replied that, "I appreciate your interest, but the job has already been filled." Nothing else after that--no thank you for your time, no good luck, etc. For another position that I interviewed for some time after that one, I was led to believe that all went well with the people who I spoke with and that they really liked me. About a couple of weeks later I was mistakenly sent a rejection email that I believe was supposed to be sent to MBE applicants for contracting services with the company. I eventually reached out to my interviewer and received official word that I was not getting the job, but them confusing me for an MBE vendor--when I was applying for a reporter position--pretty much told me all I needed to know about their MO. This company seems to go out of its way to hire as very few people of color--particularly Black and non-white Hispanic people--as possible, no matter how qualified you are (and I had contributed to some prominent outlets before my interview). Really they only invite you to interview as part of a dog-and-pony show to legally comply with DEI policies. So if you're a journalist of color looking for a great and supportive news outlet to ply your trade with, don't waste your time applying here.

Applied - Contacted after a few weeks through email - Phone Interview - In-person interview - In-person interview - Reference Check - Accepted Position after initial negotiation. Process was efficient, timely and HR did a great job communication the process and next steps at each interval.