TLDR; Extremely taxing 3 month interview process from a company that doesn’t know what it wants, and will put you through the ringer to figure it out (spoiler: they won’t). Poor leadership ruins the process. Process started April 4th, quick screening call about what to expect (no timeline provided). Interview with one member of the leadership team on 4/24, general questions. Assigned 2 work simulation prompts a few days later to complete and present 5/16. Prompts are ambiguous, unfocused, and require 12-20 hours of unpaid labor to complete. No additional resources are provided for the prompts (unless you ask) or measure of what success looks like. Presented the prompts to leadership in 60 min block - didn’t review my work beforehand but offered constructive feedback. Assigned a third prompt to present to a third member of the leadership team on June 6th, more positive feedback. Asked for 6 references, including three previous managers. Three references filled out an online survey, managers were called. My references were confused by their unprofessional behavior on the phone where they opened the call with “we’re concerned about her experience”, putting my former colleagues immediately on the defensive. On 6/20 received update that I would hear by 6/26. On 6/26, another update that I would have news by 7/1. All emails came outside of business hours, usually around 9pm. On 7/1, I received news that the role was filled by someone else. On 7/2, the role was reposted on LinkedIn. Ultimately, it is clear to me that they have no concept of what they want for this role. The company does not have any notable clients or clear media needs to fill, and still can’t figure out if a candidate has the relevant experience after three 10-hour (unpaid) projects. Interview process seems to aim to overextend candidates to see if they are willing to disregard their boundaries, and ensure they don’t have obligations outside of work (kids, caregiving, etc.) Major red flags at every stage.