I applied online. The process took 2 weeks. I interviewed at Outside Labs (Boulder, CO) in Feb 2020
Interview
The interview process was professional, streamlined, and pleasant. Interviewing can often feel somewhat opaque and impersonal, so with 280blue, it was refreshing to feel looped in and engaged at every stage of the process. Everyone I spoke with was informative, positive, and transparent.
After applying online, I was contacted by the business operations manager, who was very helpful in answering my questions. Then, I visited onsite for a 1-on-1 interview with the CEO, where we discussed my skills and experience, expectations for the position, the team environment, and the like. Finally, I was asked to complete a short marketing assignment to establish whether I was good working fit. On the whole, a positive and efficient experience.
Interview questions [1]
Question 1
Describe your approach to building persona-focused content at different stages of the funnel.
I applied online. I interviewed at Outside Labs (Boulder, CO) in Oct 2019
Interview
This interview process was marked as negative due to the high level of disappointment I encountered throughout my process with 280blue. I had 2 interviews with two different employees from the company. My biggest disappointment during my process with this company was their empty promises on their commitment to Diversity and Inclusion. I am someone who is intersectionally diverse, so this topic is extremely important to me. The first conversation with employee #1 was decent. We had a nice conversation, she told me about what the job role would be like, and I explained why I believed I'd be a good fit for the job.
When the time came for me to ask my questions, I asked: "what specific and measurable actions are 280blue taking to commit themselves to a more diverse and inclusive workplace?" Her answer was mediocre at best. She responded by saying that she and the CEO of the company take D&I seriously and that I should take a look at their social media profiles for more about their actions with D&I. We ended the interview, she told me she'd like to set me up with a 2nd interview and we said our goodbyes. Shortly after, I went to both LinkedIn profiles to follow up on her comment. There was nothing surrounding D&I or anything that they (or the company) had done to be more cognizant of it.
My second interview was also decent. I enjoyed talking to her, and the conversation seemed to flow well. She spoke highly of the CEO and said that she is an awesome owner and will do whatever it takes to support her team. I appreciated that. Moving towards the end of our conversation -- because of the first employee's poor (and inaccurate) answer to my diversity and inclusion question, I also asked this person to see if she could give me a better answer.
She said that she didn't have a direct answer to my question, but that Diversity and Inclusion are important to her. She proceeded to share a story about a time where she stood up for a friend of hers that was gay. I understand the intention behind her commentary, but it completely missed the point and didn't answer the question of HOW the COMPANY is working towards making an impactful statement as we move into an ever-diversifying market.
At the end of my second interview, this employee thanked me for my time and said that she would be in touch in about a week as they were interviewing other candidates as well. I hadn't heard back after a week's time so I decided to send a follow-up email. At that time I received a response back and was told they were pursuing other candidates for this role and wished me luck in my search. I appreciated the candor.
Overall, the interview process was relatively smooth, but it's apparent those in leadership were caught off guard by my question. It was very telling. For a PR company, I was pretty surprised (and disappointed) at their unpolished and low-grade commentary on a topic that is consistently important and relevant to all parts of the workforce.
Thank you for taking the time to share your thoughts about your interview with 280blue. I’m sorry that you didn’t have a great experience. We are a diverse group of employees and contractors, and inclusion and belonging are at the core of who we are. We regret that we did not adequately express this to you during the interview process and recognize that there is always room for improvement. Thank you again for sharing your experience with us. We wish you all the best in your career.
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