My experience with Ziff Davis was one of the worst I've ever had with any company.
Before I get into it, you should know that I worked for Ziff previously for a total of 11 years in the same role, back when it was owned by the Ziff family. I had a stellar track record, and only left because of layoffs that also affected other staff members.
After applying, I did a phone screen, then two interviews with people who were doing the same job that I applied for (there was to be a total of three of us on staff), and then I was passed to an SVP. All of the interviews went well, the two people doing the same job I applied for were quite nice to me though I found the last person I interviewed with to be rather cold and distant.
Then I was asked for references, as well as a resume with specific dates on it (I had used years instead of dates to avoid age discrimination). This last request seemed odd to me since all of my previous employment dates were already in Ziff's HR system, so why ask for dates on my resume AFTER the interviews had been completed? More on that below.
Roughly 7.5 weeks went by, and I got no job offer nor did I get a rejection. I spent almost two months hoping I had the job, and desperately needing it. I can't tell you how stressful this situation was for me, it took a toll on my mental and physical health. But I kept hoping, figuring I had a good chance at getting hired.
I emailed the SVP to inquire about the job, but got no response whatsoever from that person. I even asked for a cut off date on hiring me or sending me a rejection, just so I would know where I stood. No response at all from the SVP, I was totally ignored.
Finally, running low on bill money, I contacted one of the lower level guys I had interviewed with and asked about the job. He didn't respond, but he must have forwarded my email since I got a message on LinkedIn from the SVP saying that Ziff first wanted to hire an Editor in Chief so that person could have input into hiring for the job I applied for. Wait, what? Almost two months go by and now I have to wait for somebody else to be hired and then do yet another interview?
And why did the SVP contact me on LinkedIn instead of using Ziff's company email? I had emailed this person a few times already so my email address was in their email client. The answer is simple: they didn't want the lie about an Editor in Chief to be on Ziff's official email servers, so they used a private social media account to send it.
A couple of days later I got an email from Ziff telling me that they were doing a hiring freeze and thus they could not hire me.
My first thought: what is going on here? Almost two months with no offer and no rejection, and now the contradictory messages between the SVP on LinkedIn and the official email from Ziff? And I was clearly the most qualified since I had already done the same job for 11 years previously, and had a fantastic track record.
For context: the first time I was hired at Ziff it took about a week and a half, the second time it took about two days (back when the Ziff family owned the company). This time? Nearly two months with no offer and no rejection.
It took me a while to understand what had happened:
Age, race and anti-LGBT discrimination and hate.
I had identified myself on my resume as LGBT, and I am of mixed race descent. I am also older and that was why they wanted dates listed on my resume, so they could more easily extrapolate my age. Once they had all of that information they made their decision not to hire me, and thus I got the contradictory lies about needing to hire an Editor in Chief and a "hiring freeze."
Do not be fooled by Ziff's DEI and inclusion material on its site. This is a company that actively engaged in race, age and anti-LGBT discrimination and should be avoided by anyone concerned about such things. Anybody can proclaim "inclusion" and "diversity" on their website, but that doesn't mean a damn thing at Ziff when it comes to hiring.
In my case, being LGBT, older and of mix-raced doomed any chances I had to get hired by Ziff. The contradictory statements about an editor-in-chief, then the sudden hiring freeze says it all. Those were lies and it's obvious to anyone with a clue that the company was using any excuse it could to avoid being called out on its bigotry.
It's a cruel thing to dangle a job in front of somebody who desperately needs it, only to yank it away after making the job applicant wait almost two months for the reasons listed above. If I had known then what I know now, I would never have applied for the job in the first place.
RECOMMENDATION: Do not apply to work at Ziff, even if you are desperate. If you aren't the right age, skin color, or if you are LGBT then your chances of being hired are almost nil, regardless of your experience and expertise. Don't waste your time applying and interviewing.
REMEMBER: A company called J2 Global bought Ziff, so this is NOT the Ziff Davis that existed when it was owned by the Ziff family. This company is run by the people who ran J2 Global and you should never forget that when dealing with them.
JOBS SENT TO INDIA: Also, take careful note of the reviews posted here that mention jobs at Ziff being shipped to India. That is another reason why you should avoid this company. Even if you get hired, your job could be shipped off to India.
I will always fondly remember my days working for the real Ziff Davis, but I rue the day I ever applied for a job at a company like J2 Global.
Avoid this company completely.
