I applied through an employee referral. The process took 5 weeks. I interviewed at Elsevier (Philadelphia, PA) in Apr 2016
Interview
1) Received initial call from HR.
2) Received follow up call from HR, indicating interest in interviewing.
3) Received unscheduled phone screen call from developers on team. HR had scheduled internally, but not with me
4) Did technical phone screen.
5) Didn't hear anything for three weeks. Contacted person who recommended I apply, and then heard from manager that they wished to schedule an onsite interview.
6) Prior to onsite, asked to complete online intelligence assessment - patterns, problem solving. Also, provided with code sample and asked to provide a written critique.
7) Did onsite interview, lasted 2.5 hours. Included pair programming task. They assured me I'd hear back within 7 days.
8) Did not hear back for 2.5 weeks, reached out again for final answer. Manager complained that he told HR to relay their decision to me. I was told I was not a good fit for their "team culture".
Interview questions [1]
Question 1
General interogration about Test Driven Development, Agile Processes, and finally, an hour long Paired Programming task.
Firstly, thank you for applying to work with us at Elsevier. This is not the experience that we want our candidates to have. We appreciate the effort and time spent during the recruiting process. We strive to create a great candidate experience, which includes quick communication during each step. We will continue to improve our communication throughout our interview process. We hope this will not stop you from applying to another role with Elsevier.
I applied online. I interviewed at Elsevier in Feb 2026
Interview
Began with a phonecall interview with a recruitment officer who was very nice! Mostly behavioral questions, asking about my personal academic and extracurricular activity as well as just general conversational topics. Second interview was with two interviewers over microsoft teams, pretty informal, some technical and some behavioral with a oral presentation at the end.
Interview questions [1]
Question 1
Why are you applying to Elsevier/ What about the mission speaks to you?
There was a call with a recruiter where we discussed the company and my background and then a technical interview with a few engineers. They asked about my university experience and my expectations for the job.
Interview questions [1]
Question 1
I think I had to find a palindromic year or something.
I applied online. The process took 2 months. I interviewed at Elsevier (Amsterdam) in Aug 2024
Interview
Value your time! The interview process is super long and unprofessional. They make you do 3 online tests, 2 non-technical and 1 technical, that take hours to complete. After all the effort, they completely ghost you and don't respond at all. It was such a bad experience, and I definitely wouldn't recommend this unprofessional company to anyone.
They record your audio and video during the interview with the recruiter, and they only tell you at the end. Overall, it was a really bad experience.
Interview questions [1]
Question 1
HR basic questions, why this company? salary? 3 online tests