Applied online, heard from talent team, did first 1:1 interview, then writing test, then second 1:1 interview with an editor, then visited D.C. office for four 1:1 interviews. Was a well organized process.

First step was a preliminary, mostly straightforward interview with an HR rep - the interview request came as a bit of a surprise since I had applied four months prior and had already accepted a full-time job offer, but I went with it because Axios seemed like a dream company to work for from the outside. Second step was a 90-minute timed editing test, where I had to aggregate recent news stories and write 3 articles in the Axios style with suggested headlines, which was challenging but not impossible if you're familiar with Axios and caught up on the news. The worst problem was that there was an inexplicable IT issue the day of my scheduled editing test, and I had to wait 3 hours while the HR department tried to troubleshoot before I just requested to do it on another day. I had carved out time on a weekend to do it because my work schedule was intense, so this was a very frustrating step in the process. In hindsight, this was also the first sign that something about Axios was amiss Third step was a 1-on-1 phone interview with a breaking news editor. Very straightforward overall and included similar questions as the first interview. Final step was an in-person interview at their Arlington office. Axios made this tough to schedule, first saying that they could not manage a Friday interview time and then shifting course a few days later, which wasn't helpful for me as I tried to finagle a way to take time off my work. At the Axios office, I did four consecutive 30-minute interviews with news writers and editors, three of which were more focused on journalism and one of which was more about Axios strategy and branding. My first three interviewers were all kind and professional, while the final interviewer was... decidedly not. He belittled my college, made a flippant comment about how a previous role of mine wasn't sufficiently journalistic, made a point of interrupting me as often as possible, said that my experience reporting on the healthcare industry would be useless if Medicare-for-all ever passed (as if there wouldn't be subsequent stories on health policy!!), and pointedly expressed that being a journalist was tough and not everyone was cut out for it. It was the most antagonistic interview I've ever been a part of, which was shocking after 5 very straightforward interviews with people who seemed kind and passionate about their work. Unfortunately, that wasn't the end. Axios had assured me that they'd make hiring decisions shortly, which I needed because I had a short-term lease ending and wasn't sure if I'd have to move to DC or find another place to stay in my current city. But they delayed updating me on final hiring decisions and in the end - 2 months after my first interview, and almost 6 months since I first applied - I got a curt email from an HR rep that they had hired someone else. To this day, despite me sending multiple emails, Axios has never reimbursed me for some of my interview costs. Overall, this was the least pleasant interview experience I've ever been a part of. I would strongly advise anyone interested in applying to a role here to reconsider. Don't waste your time, money, and passion applying to a company that doesn't care about you.