Worst interview I have ever had. There was so much to do before you even got a face to face interview. I received an email asking if I was available for a phone call with one of Hearst's HR to discuss the role. I replied back and we arranged a time. That came and went with no communication, so I emailed asking if perhaps I the wrong day or wrong time. But no, the HR person was simply too busy to call me, and emailed back asking if I was free for a quick chat that very afternoon. I responded with the times I was free and....nothing. The next day I email back asking if the role was still open and the HR person promises to call me back that day, which they do. The chat goes well enough, where I explain my salary expectations, what I do in my current role etc and the HR person says that she is going to send me a test that needs to be done in a day. I explain that I'm very busy, and can't really take time out of work or do much during the weekend as I am away, but they tell me that is no problem and they will send it to me on Friday morning and I can send it back to them on Monday morning. Predictably, Friday comes and goes and at 5pm I email asking if they are going to send me the test, but I hear nothing back. Then on Saturday, when I am miles away from a computer, I get an email with the test stating that it must be done and sent back at 5pm that day at the latest. The task is a lot more than I expected, editing two full videos and also doesn't state what platform they are for, Youtube, Facebook etc. So being miles away from a computer, and with the task looking like it will take a full day to complete, I email back explaining my situation. On the Sunday, I manage to complete one of the tasks and email it to them on Monday morning. I hear nothing for a week, until the HR person emails me saying that they have decided not to proceed with my application, because my salary expectations were too high. I felt more than a little annoyed as I had taken time out of my weekend to cut a video, that eventually had no bearing on whether I got a face to face interview. I had already discussed my salary over the phone with the HR representative before I was sent the test and she explained that she would ask the team and get back to me. Having received the test, I assumed that my salary could be accommodated. Clearly I was wrong. Advice to would be applicants - Be very wary of Heart's hiring process. For me, it was a complete waste of time.

Hiring was preceded by a short phone interview. They were very straight up, and I felt like they were honest normal nice people. They have a process of starting people as freelancers, which is what I did. A trial of sorts. The trial doesn't pay as well, but, if they like your work, then they offer a position. The trial pay is fair tho.