I have been applying for full-time roles for the past few months. I’ve had some really insightful experiences with companies that are working in the creative field and the kind of roles I can apply to.

One such company was Nesta. Nesta is a UK innovation agency for social good. They design, test and scale new solutions to society’s biggest problems, changing millions of lives for the better. Nesta works across a wide range of areas, including health, education, social care and the environment. It is a non-profit organization and is funded by a combination of government grants, private donations, and commercial income.

I’ve worked with multiple non-profits in the past and was very impressed by the work Nesta has been doing in the country.

The interview had 2 rounds. The first was the HR round, which was a general introduction, followed by a 3-person panel consisting of a CxO, Art Director and Head of Marketing.

Some of the questions that were asked during my interview were –

1. Why did you apply for this role and how do you feel your experience relates to it?
2. Please tell us about a time you have had to build a design or digital capability in an organisation of largely non-designers and how you went about it, what was the biggest challenge and how did
   you overcome it?
3. Tell us about a time you have had to build and manage working relationships with internal teams, all with different levels of design and digital maturity, to scope and meet their needs? How did you go about this?
4. The role touches on a number of elements of operations. You will be, at any one time – managing team budget and expenditure, procurement, GDPR compliance, etc., aligning and advocating for the team and wider design community needs among a wider
   community of operations and programme management professionals, managing designops initiatives across the organisation to improve the ability to use design and digital ways of working. Tell us about your experience in managing the operations of a team, particularly budgets and any procurement requirements.

The interviewers were kind enough to answer my questions as well. They shared how Nesta as an organisation is very dynamic and seeking innovative ideas to work towards social good. And how marketing is a brilliant tool for companies to create an impact.

They went ahead with another candidate as they wanted someone with extensive work experience in the industry. But I really enjoyed the interaction I had with the team and learning about a really cool organisation.