I’ve worked at the BBC on and off over the years so have experienced a few interviews. Here’s my most recent experience of what to expect. 1. Competency based questions that require past examples of a situation, how you dealt with it and overall outcome. Some explicitly ask for examples (“tell me about a time when…”), some don’t (“why is diversity important”) - but you must always link an example and spell it out step by step, even if it seems obvious to industry peers. The panel of 2-3 people will write down your answers to review. 2. You’re competing against not only external candidates, but internal candidates from inside and outside the department. The theory behind the competency based interview is it makes it fair for everyone, but internal candidates often already know the hiring manager and have inside intel. 3. There is very little room for natural conversation, talking more broadly about your experience and ideas outside of the specific examples, or even getting a feel for the role, so the interview feels quite one-sided. The competency based interview can often favour those who talk better on the day rather than the most well-rounded candidate (no room for nerves). 4. I was scheduled for a 45-min interview which ran for 1hr 10 because they squeezed in 9 or 10 questions plus a presentation, which seemed excessive. Not much chance to ask my own questions and a rush to finish, but most BBC interviewers are welcoming and polite.

The entire process was online. It started with 2 online assessments where you had to answer questions about your experince and character. This was followed by a group assessment centre were you had to do a presentation. Then a final interview with a team of producers.