I had a 30-minute call with an HR representative who seemed pleasant but somewhat disengaged from the recruitment process. Following the call, I received a technical test via email along with some typical interview questions. One quirky query about a favorite Giphy was included, likely an attempt to showcase the company’s fun side. The questions were: Why are you interested in Reedsy's mission? When would you be available? Would it be full-time? Where are you based? Are you interested in a remote position? What are your rate or current salary expectations? What's your favorite Giphy? The technical test required a hefty 10 to 15+ hours of work, a demanding expectation for someone already employed full-time with other responsibilities. Despite this, I completed the assignment. The first part involved answering a series of questions, which I did correctly. However, I was criticized for my brevity and not producing lengthy, essay-like responses. The second part tasked me with recreating a layout using only CSS, based on a low-resolution JPEG. This felt like a junior-level task, and I was perplexed to find it included in a test for a senior position. I completed the task, but was nitpicked over minor discrepancies such as margins and border radii being slightly off, which seemed petty given the low quality of the JPEG provided. Another segment required using an API to create a microsite with both a list view and a page view. I applied a conventional architectural approach, which had been well-received elsewhere and even resulted in job offers from other companies for similar but significantly shorter tests. Here, though, my solution was met with harsh criticism about not spending enough time, linting rules not matching their preferred presets and alleged test failures—despite the tests functioning correctly. In conclusion, the experience was overwhelmingly negative and left me feeling grateful to have dodged a bullet. My advice to others would be to steer clear of applying to this company.