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ESPN's "BottomLine"

Discussion in 'Journalism Jobs' started by ThatGuy, Mar 10, 2009.

  1. lm0406910

    lm0406910 New Member

    From the running talk, it seems that this isn't a wanted job, but i want a job like this. I have a phone interview with ESPN next week and was wondering if any has had a phone interview with them and what it would consist of?
     
  2. mustangj17

    mustangj17 Active Member

    If it is anything like the process I went through, it is going to be a unique first interview.

    My first interview, they called at 9 p.m. on a Saturday night. I was just about to walk into the bar. The guy asked me about five questions. First was to name the last 8 Heisman winners, and their schools, in order. Then he asked me to name five L.A. Lakers not named Kobe, and also asked me how to calculate E.RA.

    I got all the questions right, except for the life of me, I could not think of Jason White's name. I referred to him as the guy from Oklahoma with two bad knees who never made it in the NFL. That was good enough for them.

    The next day they sent me a 100-something question test that was timed. It took 45 minutes. If I didn't send it back within that time it was an automatic zero. It was kind of a bitch, a lot of busy work, but it was easy - other then the stress that came with making sure you were in the time limit.

    I ended up saving a copy of the test, and checked the results over the next couple of days, and concluded I did really well. I still didn't end up hearing back from them for about four months.

    Out of the blue, one of the stats associates called and started interviewing me. The interview was about 30 minutes long. Spent about five minutes saying how cool ESPN was, five minutes was me explaining my background and why I wanted to work there, and the next 20 minutes we spent talking about the NFL: Brett Favre, the 2008 Draft, the Patriots, how dumb Matt Millen was... and the Dolphins quarterback situation. It was fun, like talking to one of my buddies. I had a really good feeling.

    I didn't hear back for another few months, when finally, in October I started calling the hiring manager. She never responded. So after about another month of waiting (7 month interview process so far) I called once a week asking her to please call me back. She finally did, but was pissy and said I called to much, I politely said I just wanted to know what was going on because I had been interviewing so for so long. She set up an interview for the next week.

    When she called she was 15 minutes late. She was in a pissy mood. Cut me off on all my answers and was not in the mood to hear me give explanations for her questions. It really rattled me because I had done so well to this point - and I knew this was the last step before an in-person interview. I still did alright, all things considered, but judging by how quickly she tried to get me off the phone and how short she was, I knew I was toast.

    Two months passed and she called to tell me that ESPN was having a hiring freeze.

    So, in essence, fuck ESPN, they can blow me. I will never apply there again.
     
  3. Suicide Squeezer

    Suicide Squeezer Active Member

    What a ridiculous hiring process. They really must think they're the CIA or something.
     
  4. DCguy

    DCguy Member

    Got this e-mail a little bit ago after doing the same exact shit as Mustang ...

    Hello!

    Stats & Analysis is catching up with candidates for a potential Statistics Associate opening at ESPN. This is an entry-level job, and the pay grade begins in the mid-$20,000 range.

    Are you still interested in being considered for the position? If not, please respond to this e-mail or call me at the number below. If so, the next stage of the process is three 20- or 30-minute phone conversations with S&A managers. I am eager to hear your status and to find out your availability to speak with us as soon as possible. Please let me know what time ranges (3- to 6-hour blocks are great) you're available to chat beginning Thursday, May 21, through Tuesday, May 26.

    I look forward to hearing from you and/or speaking with you.
     
  5. Gutter

    Gutter Well-Known Member


    I hope it was more than a little bit ago.
     
  6. Blogtastic

    Blogtastic Member

    I've applied for this exact crap twice (I was given the same exact five-question sports quiz both times - last five Heisman winners, calculate ERA, two non-Kobe Lakers) and nothing's ever come of it. Screw them.
     
  7. Double J

    Double J Active Member

    I have to confess, I don't get good vibes from "family" and "Voorhees"......

    [​IMG]
     
    Last edited by a moderator: Dec 15, 2014
  8. lm0406910

    lm0406910 New Member

    I started with a guy from a recruiting firm and now got someone for ESPN, so this phone call should be interesting
     
  9. Mark2010

    Mark2010 Active Member

    Ditto. Did two phone interviews last week. Didn't cost me anything (free minutes on the cell phone).
     
  10. Editude

    Editude Active Member

    Answering trivia questions off the top of your head (your 2001 Heisman winner ...) doesn't prove anything. Would ESPN want you, as a writer/editor on its bottom line, to rely on memory to put that on a scroll? If not, what's the point? I would think the ability to think clearly and collaboratively as a team would be more valuable.
     
  11. dixiehack

    dixiehack Well-Known Member

    Then you've obviously never spent much time looking at the ticker, which is often nearly as well-edited as the average PTA newsletter.
     
  12. playthrough

    playthrough Moderator Staff Member

    I knew a guy who could name every Super Bowl final score and teams, MVP and game site. Darn impressive. But knowing everything else about him, I wouldn't have hired him to wash my car.
     
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