Secret Escapes Interview Questions

Application

I applied online. I interviewed at Secret Escapes (New York, NY (US)) in April 2016.

Interview

The interview itself was fine. It was straightforward. However, what happened after is where the problem lies. I was never contacted again and told whether or not I got the job (obviously, by this point, it's a no). I wrote a thank you note that was never responded to, nor was my followup email. If another candidate was selected, that's fine, but at least have the decency to let someone know where they stand. If this is how job candidates are treated, then I could only imagine how their business is run.

Interview Questions

Application

I applied online. The process took 2 weeks. I interviewed at Secret Escapes (London, England).

Interview

The interview consisted of 3 stages, phone interview, presenting my task at F2F and a final interview with a short 10 min task. Team was friendly, welcoming and very professional, even at reception. I was also met on time at reception by every interviewer and received immediate updates on how and when they’ll provide feedback and proceed. I was asked intelligent and non-generic questions throughout which made me feel like they’re really serious about hiring the best person to do the job. Overall, I was very impressed with how they asnswered by questions fully as well as treated me while I was there.

Interview Questions

Application

I applied online. The process took 4 weeks. I interviewed at Secret Escapes (London, England) in March 2018.

Interview

I first interviewed for this position in July/August 2017 and was unsuccessful. I had two interviews with three people in total at the London headquarters, which I felt very positive about. Everyone had been very welcoming and communicative before and during the interview. After a second and final interview I felt confident but did not hear anything for a couple of weeks. After chasing I found out a third candidate was now being interviewed and time had been made to interview them, which was obviously not good news for me, however it still took a while (I think three weeks in total) before I found out that I hadn't actually got the job and got feedback from the interviews.

I saw the job listed again on LinkedIn and got in touch again. I was invited back for interview, this time just one interview with two people from before. I was told more interviews were happening in the next week and I should hear back at the end of the following week. After two weeks I'd heard nothing so emailed but got no reply. A few more days passed so I emailed again, and then received a call which I was unable to answer at the time. The voicemail offered me feedback on the interview, which meant I hadn't go the job. I was annoyed that I had to chase this for a second time, and once again no-one had actually concretely told me I was unsuccessful. It is common not to hear back after an application but very rare and unprofessional not to hear back after a final interview.

The actual interview process and meeting the interviewers and seeing the place is great, but the complete lack of communication afterwards lets the whole process down. Which is very ironic for a comms position. However it is hard to tell if this is just one person shying away from making the difficult phone call or not.

Interview Questions

Application

I applied online. The process took 2+ months. I interviewed at Secret Escapes (London, England) in March 2018.

Interview

Really slow process and poor coordination between the HR Team and the Digital Marketing one.

The process was quite long, in total, it took me more than 2 months during the whole process and I just did 2 interviews (one by phone) and a case study.

Also, there was a completely miscoordination between HR and the Marketing team. for example, they told me there would just be one interview and a numerical test and at the end, it wasn´t like this, so I prepared this test for nothing. Another example, about the chaotic process, was that I do not know why they thought I was not living in London and they wanted to cancel my phone interview the previous day.

Finally, after working the whole weekend for a case study and waiting for more than one month to receive an answer, I received a general "no-replay" email telling me that I have not been accepted and with any feedback. After having invested all this time through all the process I was expecting a bit more of feedback.

Interview Questions

Application

I applied online. The process took 5 weeks. I interviewed at Secret Escapes (London, England) in February 2018.

Interview

1) The initial application was rather time-consuming for a first filtering. Applicants were asked to write 300 words about the brand, and a 250 words review, as well as other questions. Fair enough, although these types of questions can seem like a sneaky way of getting free work.
2) About a week after applying, I was invited to complete an online interview. I recorded answers to questions on the screen. Took about 15 min.
3) It took two and a half week before they got back to me after the video interview. The third round, where I still had not directly communicated with anyone at Secret Escapes, I was asked to write an idea for a campaign. Took about two hours. Like the first point, it felt like a sneaky way of getting "free work". I was a bit hesitant to complete this step as it felt a bit strange to spend so much time on a process without knowing details of the role, salary, how many was still in the process, etc.
4) Ten days after sending in my ideas, I was invited to an in-person interview, however, at this stage, I had already accepted another offer.
Advice: Give candidates a call if making the first cut, and inform about the process and timeline. Cut time between the steps to avoid losing good candidates. 5 weeks from application to being invited to an in-person interview is way too much.

Interview Questions

Application

I applied online. The process took 4 weeks. I interviewed at Secret Escapes (London, England) in December 2017.

Interview

I was asked to complete a writing task ahead of my first interview. I was then asked for a phone interview which was conducted by the Talent Coordinator. I then went in for a face to face interview which I thought had gone well, I then didn't hear back.

Interview Questions

Application

I applied online. The process took 3 weeks. I interviewed at Secret Escapes (London, England).

Interview

Quite a long but pleasent process. The process consisted of several stages with interviews, skill tests etc. Awesome HR department and very passionate people working there. Despite not getting an offer, I was left with a very positive impression of the company and the people working there. Pepare for skill tests to be completed in very little time

Interview Questions

Application

I applied online. I interviewed at Secret Escapes (London, England) in September 2017.

Interview

I completed a test afterwards I had the first Skype interview with a person from HR and the Content Editor Manager. Following by a new test and 2 more Skype interviews.

Interview Questions

Application

I applied online. The process took 3 weeks. I interviewed at Secret Escapes (London, England) in December 2016.

Interview

Basic phone interview with HR to check suitability followed by an on-site interview with two employees that seemed new to interviewing candidates. Easy questions and a straightforward writing test. Didn't feel tested throughout the procedure.

Interview Questions

Application

I applied online. The process took 2 weeks. I interviewed at Secret Escapes (London, England) in September 2016.

Interview

Overall the interview experience was challenging but a great way to learn more about the company! It was well organised, everyone who I met was so welcoming and the offices were amazing to visit.

The first stage of the interview process was a casual 15-30 minute phone interview. I was asked about what my role at the time entailed, what I liked and disliked about my job and what attracted me to apply for a role at Secret Escapes. I was then asked to come for a face to face interview in the London offices where I would do a 5 minute presentation on a provided topic.

The first face to face interview lasted 1.5 hours with 2 members of the team. I timed my presentation in preparation to stay close to 5 minutes but it was fine when I went over a little. I did my presentation first (to get it over with!) and then I was asked a few competency based questions. I also had a prioritization task and an email task to complete during my interview. Those who interviewed me made me feel comfortable from the beginning. The interview was informative, welcoming, and well organised.

I was asked to come back for a second face to face interview to meet 2 more senior members of the team (one on Skype). This interview was 1 hour long, based around me as an individual and if I was a cultural fit for the company. Again the individuals who interviewed me were welcoming at made me feel at ease throughout the interview process. I had my final interview on a Wednesday and was told on the Friday that I was successful!

I would say be prepared for your interview with examples from your previous experiences, familiarize yourself with the company values and be yourself! I've loved working at Secret Escapes from the first week, it's been challenging, fast paced and very sociable (any excuse for a themed party!)

Interview Questions