I applied online. I interviewed at Springer Nature in Aug 2020
Interview
Overall, there were three interviews:
1) Within a week of applying, I had a 30 minute screening interview with a recruiter (via phone). They asked about some points on my CV/application, and what my timeline for starting the position would be.
2) The next day, I had a 30 minute video interview with the Chief Editor, who asked more about my research experience and interest in the position, as well as some questions to gauge my familiarity with the publishing/review process.
3) The next week, I had a ~4 hour video interview and manuscript test. They emailed me three manuscripts (molecular biology, neuroimaging, and animal models), and gave an hour to review/critique them, before meeting with the Chief Editor and an Associate Editor for an hour to discuss the strengths/weaknesses of each paper, and whether or not I would send it out to review. The rest of the interview consisted of more questions about my background/motivation from the Chief Editor and a Senior Editor.
Two weeks after the manuscript test, I received an informal offer via email. Overall the editors were very friendly, it was just difficult to gauge how I was doing at each stage of the interview.
Interview questions [1]
Question 1
Describe your research experience?
If you weren’t in science publishing, what would be another potential career path?
Would you be comfortable with reviewing articles outside of your field of expertise?
What is one thing you would change about the peer review / publishing process?
What are the journals that you normally think of / enjoy reading?
What is a recent article that you read that was outside of your expertise, but enjoyed, and why?
What are our main competitors, and how would you rank them?
How could we better promote our journal to others?
Would our journal be something of interest to your field?
If you were editor-in-chief, what would be the biggest change you would make for this journal?
Who would you recruit for an editorial board? What would be your priorities?
How would you respond to an author who had critiques about the journal or was mad about their review?
What are your thoughts on double-blind review?
Applied the online through the workday platform. In the system, submit the assignment according the JD, which should discuss a recent paper which excites you in your field, and CV along with a cover letter including your background and motivation for the position.
1. Interview with HR:
talking about your motivation, your research background, current salary and location. How do you know this job and why do you want to do this. Introduction about this job to you.
Interview questions [1]
Question 1
What personality traits do you possess that are suitable for this job?
1. Hr call-30mins, talk about salary/location etc.; 2. manuscript assessment, you need to assess two manuscripts at 1h; 3. Editorial interview - 1h manuscript assessment, 1h discussion, 1h behavioural questions
Interview questions [1]
Question 1
What do you think that can be improved for the journal?