Multiple states. 1: discussion with HR 2: design exercise 3: group interview and presentation of the design exercise 4: offer The most boring design exercise ever. I started to wonder if the projects are the same.

Spoke with a recruiter who couldn't quite nail down her pitch. The recruiter repeated a few points while never really explaining the company, projects and culture. No matter, I chalked it up a late-in-the-day phone call. A few days later I spoke with an Interaction Designer who gave me a better idea about the company and the Interaction Designer role. Seemed interesting! The recruiter proceeded to email me a vague design exercise with no real requirements. In addition, they requested that I send the completed work before our review. Red flag! Red flag! (I can't imagine they were fishing for free client work because the exercise was too vague.) I replied and politely explained why the exercise wouldn't help them understand how I would perform on a REAL project. I offered to do a short freelance project, but — I expected this reaction — I never heard back. The company appears to be doing good work but they need a better way to "test" potential candidates. Younger, inexperienced designers may give away their time for a chance at a job but experienced designers know better (typically).