Associate Editor applicants have rated the interview process at PLOS with 3 out of 5 (where 5 is the highest level of difficulty) and assessed their interview experience as 80% positive. To compare, the company-average is 48.4% positive. This is according to Glassdoor user ratings.
Candidates applying for Associate Editor roles take an average of 66 days to get hired, when considering 5 user submitted interviews for this role. To compare, the hiring process at PLOS overall takes an average of 36 days.
Common stages of the interview process at PLOS as a Associate Editor according to 5 Glassdoor interviews include:
Phone interview: 31%
Skills test: 23%
One on one interview: 15%
Group panel interview: 15%
Other: 8%
Presentation: 8%
Here are the most commonly searched roles for interview reports -
I applied online. I interviewed at PLOS in Apr 2019
Interview
Zoom interview followed by face to face interview. Zoom interview typical questions, face to face asked about open science and other more strategic publishing issues. Test involved critiquing papers published by PLOS.
Interview questions [1]
Question 1
How do you think Plos can contribute to open science?
I applied through other source. The process took 2 weeks. I interviewed at PLOS (Birmingham, England) in Aug 2025
Interview
they sent me an email with a link to decide a day and time for the interview. The interview was with one person only. It was a half an hour online interview. The position they were offering was a remote/online position from anywhere in the UK
I applied online. The process took 3 months. I interviewed at PLOS
Interview
Interview with HR, general competency questions - 30 min;
Assignment - was given 2 hours to assess submitted manuscripts;
Second interview - 1 hour 15 mins with a team of two.
Phone call screening interview with the recruiter/HR rep. It was very casual and lasted 15 minutes. Mostly just introductions and overview of the interviewing process. Wanted to know what I know about PLOS. Described the role.