Do you have any tips on answering Usborne job application questions?
Yes! Here are some Top Tips when you're applying for a role at Usborne:
- Don't use AI for your application
Whilst AI is undoubtedly a useful tool in some instances, we are a company built on Intellectual Property (IP) and our ownership of copyright is fundamental to how we do business. As such, we need to know that you're able to originate ideas, not just generate them using a tool. This is especially important for editorial roles, but applies to all our departments. We use tools to generate our own AI answers, and check yours against them for similarities - so we will know if you've used AI in your application process, and will score down for this (see our FAQ What to expect when you apply for a vacancy at Usborne through Applied).
- Make sure you are clear on the working location where you'd be based
We are looking for people who can be physically present to collaborate with colleagues, in our office(s). When we advertise roles we detail the office location you will be based at, and you will need to be able to work from that office base for the majority of the week. More here: Do you offer remote job opportunities at Usborne?
- Confirm you have the right to live and work in the UK
Please note that we do not offer visa sponsorship, and therefore applicants must already have the right to live and work in the UK at the point of application, or be eligible by their start date. You'll be asked to answer a question on this when you begin your application in Applied.
- Read the questions carefully
Make sure you've read and understood the question being asked of you and follow any guidance we have given in terms of how we'd like the answer structured and what information we are looking for (it can impact your score if you don't follow instructions).
- Showcase what you know (not what you don't)
The questions we ask in our application process are designed to help you demonstrate what you do know - not what you don't. The hiring team are generally looking for where they can award a score, not deduct from it.
- Answer questions fully
We are looking for you to demonstrate your competencies or skills, and this is unlikely to be demonstrated in only one or two sentences (unless that’s what we specifically ask you for). Clear communication is at the heart of what we do, so it's important to us that we can see how you get your point across. It's also important for us to understand that you can follow instructions in the questions. For example, if we ask you in a question how you'd handle a certain problem and why you'd do it like that, make sure you explain the ‘why’ as well as the 'how'. Not answering fully will impact on your score.
- Check and double check before you submit
We care that you care about your application, so make sure to check your spelling - especially our company name! As a publisher, words, sentence structure, grammar and punctuation are very important to us, and we pay close attention to these (across all teams, not only for editorial roles). For our writing roles, accurate spelling and sentence structure is even more important - as is creative flair. In the later stages of recruitment we also look at your CV, so make sure this is accurate too.
- Key skills for commercial roles
For roles in our commercial teams, we are keen to understand your technical, organisational, administrative and prioritization skills. Many of our commercial roles don't require specific publishing experience so we'll be looking at how you're able to apply skills you have developed elsewhere, including school, college or university, and other paid or unpaid work.
- A note on portfolios, for design roles
For our design vacancies, we score on the relevance of your portfolio. As Applied is not able to support the digital upload and storage of portfolios, we are not currently able to use it in quite the way we do for other roles, to anonymise your application. When looking for designers we will either ask for a link to view your portfolio online, or for you to email us your portfolio as an attachment. We then score your portfolio objectively using a structured review tool to assess your creative skills and flair.
Keep an eye on our current vacancies page and follow Usborne on LinkedIn to find out when we're hiring.