Online Application
For the initial stage of the application, I was asked to fill out personal information, attach a CV and answer the following question: What interests you about a career in broadcast media and why do you think you would be suitable for it? (250 words)
How to respond for success
To answer the initial 250 word question I followed some key steps. Firstly, I looked at the job description, particularly the section regarding what they looked for in a candidate and tried to display those qualities when answering the question. I then looked up the company values and tried to include that in my answer.
I think what stood out was my genuine interest in the role. It meant I could convey my passion and aspirations!
Expect around a 1 week wait before progressing to the next stage.
Situational Judgement Test
For this stage, I was given 20 workplace scenarios for which there were four possible courses of action I could take. For each action I had to label them either: Very effective, Effective, Fairly effective, Fairly ineffective, Ineffective or Very ineffective.
It took around 30 minutes to complete. Bare in mind you have 7 working days to complete the assessment too. I did some company research to prepare. I especially looked at the BBC values because this gave me an idea of how I could respond to each scenario.
Example task
Expect typical scenarios you would encounter in a day to day office role, nothing too technical.
How to respond for success
Although I had an idea of the company’s values, I answered as honestly as possible. My advice would be to do the same because it’s also a chance for you to see if this role is right for you.
Expect a 1-2 week wait before progressing to the next stage.
Video Interview
This stage of the application was a 30 mins strengths based interview with two employees via zoom. They didn’t really ask job-specific or experience based questions. It was more quick fire questions to find out about your mindset, way of working and how you view leadership etc.
The idea was to answer as quickly as possible. I had time to ask questions at the end. I then found out if I had got through to the next interview.
Example task
Expect typical strength based interview questions, along the lines of: What does it take to make a good leader? When do you feel most inspired? Do you find deadlines motivating or intimidating? How do you judge success?
How to respond for success
General advice would be to do a lot of preparation, research the role, (understand what BBC Studios does in my case). I dressed formal for the interview too. Also, I sat in a well lit area. Because it was via Zoom, I made sure to keep looking directly into the camera.
Expect a 1-2 week wait before progressing to the next stage.
Final Interview
For the final video interview, I was asked to prepare a short presentation where I talked about two pieces of content that had recently inspired me. This could be a show, movie, documentary etc. (Whilst they didn’t specify, I think it goes without saying to do BBC content!). It lasted 20-30 mins and I was interviewed by 4-5 people.
Example task
They then asked me a few questions regarding that content. This took a bit of preparation. I think the point was to test whether I understood what makes good content.
How to respond for success
Talk passionately about the content you choose. I also expressed what I thought made it good content and why it was necessary/relevant for society today. This involved delving into various themes and overall messaging because I knew that was something the BBC valued. I would also advise you to choose content that has genuinely inspired you because you’ll be able to talk more passionately about it!
