Being screened for a Staff Writer position at Groupon was a lengthy, frustrating, and bizarre experience. I'm sure the process is similar for other positions in Editorial, as all applicants have to deal with the Manager of Editorial Recruiting and Training (hereon referred to as MERT). I was contacted by MERT via e-mail about a month after applying for the position. His initial e-mail was thoughtful and professional--he provided feedback on the sample I sent in with my application and asked if I'd be willing to write another, which he would pay me $25 for if I mailed him some basic tax paperwork. I mailed in the paperwork and sent him my second sample. A couple of days later, he sent me a brief e-mail asking if I was available to go over the sample on the phone. I expected that we'd go over my sample and there would be a basic phone interview--that's what happens when a recruiter calls you, right? Not in this case. After he got me on the phone, he immediately started going over my sample before I could manage so much as, "Hello." I listened to his points, which were valid, but then he said, "You know, it really would have been good if you could have mentioned that so-and-so-paper gave this the bla-and-bla award. And you didn't say anything about the fact that so-and-so performer was nominated for a bla-and-bla." (The sample I wrote was for a discounted performance, and he was saying that I had failed to cite the credentials of the performance and the performers.) "But... I did," I said. "In the second paragraph." "Oh... right, um, yeah. I guess I didn't see that." After this awkward bit, he said he wanted me to write another sample. Then he asked if I had any questions. I asked him how many write-ups a Staff Writer was expected to complete per day and another question about work expectations. He wasn't pleased. "I'd advise you," he barked, "not to ask these types of questions at this stage in the interview process. At this point, these types of questions are very unprofessional." I had a bad taste in my mouth after that conversation, but I completed my third sample. I thought maybe he was just having a bad day, but I wondered--What was this "application process" he spoke of, and how many more write-ups would I be asked to complete? I ended up submitting several more samples. I'd wait two or three days after submitting them to receive brief, shorthand e-mails (rarely punctuated or capitalized, by the way) asking if he could call me to go over my latest sample. Sometimes he was friendly and his feedback was helpful, but most of the time he sounded extremely annoyed and cut me off when I'd try to ask questions. There were at least three more occasions when he said something was missing from my write-up that wasn't. If I had more horse sense, I would have paid attention to these red flags, but I kept thinking, "Maybe he's just trying to weed out applicants that can't take editorial heat. And sure, his correspondence is unprofessional, but this guy has a lot on his plate. I should just keep rolling with the punches." Finally, I was asked to come in for an interview. And you know what? It was a great interview. I met with MERT and the Managing Editor at the same time. All of the questions flowed naturally, and they were both friendly and engaging. I left feeling confident. I was asked to write two more samples, which I completed as soon as possible. After that, it took two weeks before I found out that I didn't get the job. I will say this--MERT thanked me for the effort I put forth in the process, and I did get paid for all of the samples that I wrote, but that doesn't erase the fact that my experience with Groupon was aggravating and ad-hoc. I know that they're a rapidly growing company, but they shouldn't expect applicants to turn a blind eye to their disorganization and lack of professionalism just because they're understaffed. In retrospect, I'm glad I didn't get the job. Their in-house writers are expected to produce 8 write-ups per day, and after all of the sample write-ups I did, "Groupon Voice" became utterly nauseating. Despite all of the guidelines given online, their voice is more subjective than anything. Every once in a while I'll crack a smirk at some witty bit in one of their write-ups, but for the most part, their writing comes across as inflated, cutesy, and tired. There are only so many original, "surprising" jokes that can be made about tanning and appetizers before you start beating your readers over the head (or "brain box" as Groupon would say--minus the telltale quotes and parentheses, of course). I'd advise future applicants to proceed with caution. For those that do apply, don't expect any transparency or straightforwardness along the way.

I originally applied in April. After a short phone interview, they asked me to come to Groupon academy in May. Academy wasn't until June. After academy, they would email me a sample write-up, I would submit it. Then they would call with feedback. I did the maximum of four write-ups. After the 4th, they asked me to come in for a face-to-face interview, which I did. My references were contacted immediately after the interview. A few days later, they called to say they went with another candidate who was a "better fit".