I applied for a role and was invited into what ultimately became a very long, disjointed, and demanding interview process. After a call with the recruiter, and an interview with the hiring manager, in the span of a single week, I was asked to complete two intensive interviews: a 1.5-hour phone interview focused entirely on behavioral questions and a detailed case study to create within two days—essentially outlining a 12-month strategy with a level of detail that felt excessive for a candidate assignment.
While I invested the time and did my best with every task, the communication throughout the process was consistently disappointing. I was given specific dates for when I would receive feedback, but each time those dates came and went with no update. I only heard back after following up myself—repeatedly. After all the work and time invested, I received a vague rejection with no meaningful explanation.
What Went Well:
• Some of the individual interviewers were personable.
• The role seemed interesting on paper.
What Went Poorly:
• Expectations for candidates were extremely high and not proportionate to the stage or timeline of the process.
• Communication was unreliable—promised feedback deadlines were missed multiple times.
• Needed to follow up myself to get any update.
• The final rejection contained almost no useful feedback despite the depth of the assessments.
• Overall, the process felt disorganized and lacked respect for the candidate’s time.
Bottom Line:
Based on how the interview process was handled, I can only assume that communication and expectations internally may be similar. While I was initially enthusiastic about the opportunity, this experience was ultimately discouraging. I hope the company takes steps to improve their candidate experience, as it reflects strongly on their culture and values.