The hiring process at WONE takes an average of 20 days when considering 4 user submitted interviews across all job titles. Candidates applying for Product Designer had the quickest hiring process (on average 7 days), whereas Operations Manager roles had the slowest hiring process (on average 30 days).
I applied online. The process took 4 weeks. I interviewed at WONE in Dec 2024
Interview
I went through the interview process at WONE , and while I didn’t get the role (which is fine—I wasn’t sure I wanted it by the end), the experience wasn’t great.
The process dragged on for many weeks, and honestly, it felt disorganised and unclear. Here’s what stood out:
Confusion About the Role:
In my first interview with the talent person, I asked about the day-to-day responsibilities and was told the job description covered it well. But in the second interview, the hiring manager described different tasks—none of which were on the original job spec. This made me question if they really knew what they were looking for.
Missed Timelines:
After my second interview, I was told I’d hear back the next day. Instead, I waited six days. Then, just before Christmas, I was told there’d be a delay because of holidays, but I’d get an update by a specific date. That update came nine days late.
Changes to the Job Title:
Between applying and my second interview, the job title had completely changed.
Dragging It Out During the Holidays:
If the process was going to be delayed because of planned time off, maybe they should’ve waited to start hiring. I’ve seen other companies hire smoothly in December, so this felt avoidable.
I applied through a recruiter. The process took 1 week. I interviewed at WONE (London, England) in Nov 2024
Interview
I was contacted by a hiring manager on LinkedIn, and then we had a call where I was asked about my experience, accomplishments, and other topics related to the designer role.
I wouldn't say it was a difficult interview, but at the end, I was told that there are other candidates with more experience and whose backgrounds are more aligned with the company's field.
On one hand, I appreciate the honesty. Thank you. On the other hand, my portfolio and CV provide enough information to draw conclusions about my experience, so we could have avoided spending time on the call.
My personal take is that unless you’re building rockets or solving quantum gravity physics, there's no such thing as a designer lacking industry-specific experience. The design process is fundamentally the same everywhere, and a great designer can solve any problem given to them. Experience from other fields is actually a benefit that can bring a fresh perspective.
So after a week of thinking, they decided not to move forward with my application.
Interview questions [1]
Question 1
Tell me about your past projects which aligned with what are we doing here at WONE.
I applied online. The process took 4 weeks. I interviewed at WONE (London, England)
Interview
1. 30 min screening call with Head of People
2. 2x in-person interviews (Head of Product, Lead Dev, Product Manager and Engineer).
3. 30 min call with CEO
I enjoyed the process at Walking On Earth, in particular the second stage in-person interviews where I presented based on a task they assigned. I also presented on a passion project, and created a user manual about how best to work with me.
I spent a lot of time preparing these presentations and rehearsing them. Unfortunately I did not progress past this stage.
This would have been a positive experience nonetheless, however it was very disappointing to not receive any feedback on the entire process, despite the time and effort put into the process on my side. Additionally, the job advertisement and the interviewers explained how important feedback was and that this would be provided independent of the outcome, so this was a further disappointment from the company. This feedback is important so that I can improve in my other job applications.
Interview questions [1]
Question 1
Describe how you would create a release plan for a new product feature.