The process took 4 weeks. I interviewed at Ogilvy (Chicago, IL) in Sept 2011
Interview
This was a long, drawn-out, somewhat brutal interview process. I met with easily a dozen people in the practice. What started out as a very specific opening for one particular account morphed into a general opening that would be customized for me. It seemed that the senior leadership really liked my background and skill set, but were unsure where to place me. As a result, I came into the office at least five times to meet with different people to see if maybe I would be a good fit for this or that account. While I appreciate that the company wanted to put me in a position that I would enjoy and have the potential for growth, it was frustrating to continuously get emails from HR asking me to come in one more time to meet with one more person. It seemed that they were not respectful of my time and the fact that I was taking time off from my current job to interview.
I took a writing test, submitting references, and then... nothing. I followed up only to learn that while the team was very interested in bringing me on board, they did not have the budget for a new hire. While we are still speaking, I felt misled by the process. I would advice that Ogilvy PR ensure that there is a real need for the position before starting the interview process - while networking and informal interviews are important, expectations should be clear on both sides.
Sharing of my past job experiences, the companies I've worked at previously, my expected salary range for this role, what made me apply for the role with Ogilvy. They also shared the expectations of the role.
I applied through an employee referral. The process took 4 weeks. I interviewed at Ogilvy (London, England) in Oct 2024
Interview
Applied online and had a call with the recruitment team, then a short virtual call with a business director, followed by a task presented to a client partner and a business director, then a final meeting with a business director.
Process was quite quick up until the later stages, when it was harder to get contact with the teams and obtain any feedback. one thing that was frustrating is that they use an applicant tracking system, and send automatic rejections despite getting to later stages in the process which can be extremely off-putting when you have spent hours interviewing, preparing tasks, researching various accounts etc. as you feel like you have to chase for responses.
I applied through other source. The process took 3 weeks. I interviewed at Ogilvy (San Francisco, CA)
Interview
Met with the Senior lead on the account, HR and MD. Went through several interviews, took a long time to sort out interview times/face to face meetings. Interviews went well. I was told that they would organize a meeting with the team for next steps and then later on after following up, was informed the job went to someone else which was a shock. I emailed to find out more information and no one ever got back to me. Very surprising.
Would massively appreciate Management and leadership team to give more clarity and feedback to help support everyone along this journey. Massively hoping that things get better for this year. All the best!