Our selection process: candidates’ stories.
Public Digital are committed to an unbiased recruitment process as well as openness about how you will be assessed.
The process follows three main stages: applying, shortlisting and interviewing.
Applying to PD
Candidate's CVs are anonymously reviewed with no identifiable features - that means we have no idea of candidate names, contact details or any characteristics that might cause unconscious bias.
Assessing your application
Candidates with the highest scores progress to an initial telephone conversation with Lewis, our Talent Lead. This call is relatively informal and will give the talent team a chance to discuss motivations for applying to the role as well as career history and experience.
Interviewing
Successful candidates do a panel interview. These have multiple interviewers, often centred around a case study. This is a great opportunity for candidates to demonstrate how they think, present and facilitate. Previous roles and experience naturally follows in conversation, and the best candidates ask as many questions to us.
Some candidates may go through peer review, and informal chat with someone else you haven't yet met as part of the recruitment process so far. This gives everyone a chance to keep evaluating cultural fit.
Lina Jovaisaite, Principal Consultant
I remember submitting my written application for the role of Principal Consultant at Public Digital and thinking ‘Wow, that was the most human application I’ve ever done. They didn’t ask for a generic cover letter, or answers to countless competency questions. They asked what I actually think about things’.
This sentiment rang true for the rest of the recruitment process - an intelligent and empathetic panel asked a host of interesting questions during my interview, the presentation task was well-pitched and gave me an opportunity to show how I synthesise information and present it, and the peer-to-peer review made me feel like I was talking to a colleague I’d know for a long while. By the end of the process, I felt ready and excited to start my new role at Public Digital.
Sechi Kailasa, Principal Consultant
I appreciated that the PD recruitment process was clear and gave you the space to be yourself. The process started with a blind CV submission alongside motivational questions.
The next stage involved a panel interview, where I was asked to prepare a presentation in response to a case study. I also appreciated that you were given the flexibility to answer this case as creatively as you wished; I felt like this enabled you to showcase your unique perspective. The final round was a peer interview with a partner leading the team you’re hopefully joining, in reality this was an open and enjoyable conversation.Overall, I think the recruitment process gives you the opportunity to perform your best because it enables you to be yourself.
Amanda Smith, Director
I was delighted with how the recruitment experience went in applying for my role at Public Digital. Firstly because of the organisation's commitment to use tools and approaches that anonymise applications. That felt reassuring to me in terms of Public Digital's approach to reducing bias and achieving fairness, equity and equality.
I found the process seamless and everything was handled in a timely manner. I felt well prepared for my interview, both in terms of the approach and the exercise (I was asked to prepare a short case study presentation) and the panel.
The interview itself was handled in a professional, engaging, warm, and supportive manner. It felt very natural, with open and authentic questions that gave me the space to shine and share where I bring expertise.
Also, I was given plenty of time to ask any questions to the panel. The outcome of the interview was delivered in a timely manner.
The onboarding experience was exceptional. I'm proud to say I've been working at PD since March 2022 and it's the most wonderful place to work.