Popular Science was advertising for a several positions, including staff writers and senior editors, together with production and audience engagement staff. The magazine's fourth editor in chief in four years, Joe Brown, was evidently making some changes and draining the swamp, to use a now-popular phrase. Brown himself is the former San Francisco-based Wired online Editor, returning to his native New York to take this role at Bonnier. I applied for the senior editor role as I have over 15 years' experience covering science and technology in the mainstream media. I met the HR representative first, Kim Putman, who seemed very pleasant. We spoke for about 15 minutes before she disappeared to arrange the next meeting. After 20 minutes or so, I was introduced to Mr Brown, who straightaway seemed disinterested and burdened with the meeting. The conversation covered a number of topics: Mr Brown's love of Formula 1, men's watches, dirt bikes and how he happily spends hours a day window shopping online. "I wonder where he finds the time", I thought. He outlined his strategy for Popular Science; I wasn't sure I totally agreed with his aim to totally eliminate news-based content and reduce the print publication to quarterly, but I listened. It was important to have an open mind and contemplate this opinion. His arms folded most of the time, he endured the interview with little or no visible enthusiasm or interest. Weeks later and after looking at Mr Brown's Twitter feed, I saw that the last four people he has hired for editorial roles are female. One of whom was a former Wired features editor, who I now assume accepted the so-called and rather misleading "senior editor" role I applied for, since it had vanished from the careers page of the Bonnier website. I fully understand this sort of thing happens and in my experience I have also had to staff a brand new title from scratch, so I wanted people around I knew I could count on. At the very least though, when I did interview potential candidates, I always enjoyed meeting and talking to new people. Mr Brown however needs to seriously work on his interview technique, or lie better, or even just adopt a policy of honesty. It's clear I'd been invited in to tick the "gender diversity" box on the HR whiteboard and little else and I still haven't received any formal rejection from HR.

Informal due to the nature of past relationships with staff and management and long standing work relationship within the industry and with the staffs made this an especially easy process and hiring..