Interview questions were standard for a Collections role - e.g how would you pack or store an object. It included a handling exercise as well. A few questions felt like they needed internal knowledge of the department and its structure - as an external candidate this wasn't an encouraging sign. The behaviour of the interviewers suggested a lack of interest in what the candidates had to say, and made the interview feel rushed and uncomfortable. I was told - before I even began the interview - to be concise in my answers because they were running behind due to an earlier candidate. A lack of communications between departments meant an earlier candidate had been delayed. Obviously, this was not my fault and it started the interview on a bad note. As a result I felt rushed the entire process despite being asked multiple detailed questions. The behaviour of the interviewers was not encouraging and felt like they were speeding through. The interviewer ended by saying they were happy that we finished on time. We had in fact finished 10 minutes early. This felt unnecessary and again emphasised the pressure on the candidate. In short the interview felt like a box-ticking exercise and was not a good experience.

Applied online, invited to interview. Interviewed by conservator and two Collection Managers for approx 30 mins. Not asked any questions about my experience, mainly was asked about specific scenarios/what I would do in such a situation.