A Written Interview

Um, a what?

Below is an email I received from a hiring lead because they were interested in my résumé. They then wanted a PDF version of my responses uploaded somewhere:

Hi candidate,

Thank you for your interest in the ___ role at ___.  I am the hiring lead for this role.  I have progressed your application based on your CV and yours answers to the application questions.  The hiring process for this role starts with a formal assessment stage consisting of a written interview and tests that you can take at your own pace, followed by a series of interviews, as outlined below:

• Application - initial resume screening (complete)
• Assessment - written interview and tests (current stage)
• Interviews - cross-team, talent and leadership interviews (final stage)

This written interview is a prepared statement for interviewers to read in advance of your meeting to cover your interests, priorities, experience and ambition. There is no rush, I will leave your application open a couple weeks to let you find the time for this step.  Please take the opportunity to highlight achievements which you feel demonstrate exceptional talent, leadership, and character, and answer these questions in a PDF document:

Experience

• Describe any payroll experience in a multinational technology business, especially as it relates to setting up payroll in multiple countries.
• Describe any experience participating in payroll automation or other related efficiency initiatives.
• Describe your involvement and experience in a public company or IPO process.
• What do you consider your most relevant professional experience for this role?
• What highlights from your career are you most proud of?

Insights

• What do you foresee as the challenges in this role? How will you address them?
• Describe a time where you had to manage a complex project, and how you did so.
• How would you measure success in this role?

Education

• In high school, how did you rank competitively in maths and hard sciences? Which was your strongest?
• In high school, how did you rank competitively in languages and the arts? Which was your strongest?
• What sort of high school student were you? Outside of class, what were your interests and hobbies?  What would your high school peers remember you for, if we asked them?
• Which university and degree did you choose? What others did you consider, and why did you select that one?
• At university, did you do particularly well at any area of your degree?
• Overall, what was your degree result and how did that reflect on your ability?
• In high school and university, what did you achieve that was exceptional?
• What leadership roles did you take on during your education?

Context

• What attracted you to ___?
• What gets you most excited about this role?

Please upload your submission as a PDF at the URL given below. To reduce bias, several of my colleagues and I will review the document in an anonymized queue, so please do not put your name in the document or its filename. Don't worry, the system will keep track of your submission correctly.