The process started with a short phone call with the recruiter. After that I was asked to complete a design assessment that included an email mockup, homepage header, a 3 part Instagram story with animation, and optional MMS promo based on a fictional product launch. I spent several hours completing the test including strategy, design, animation, and a full presentation. After submitting I had a video interview with the design manager. After waiting for much longer than I was told, I received a generic rejection email with no feedback. If you are going to ask creatives to put in that kind of time the least you can do is follow up with some decency. A short call. A little insight. Something that shows you were not just making us do work for the sake of it. Design tests can be valuable when they are respectful. But when they are unpaid and treated like throwaway work it says a lot about how companies view creative roles. This was a clear reminder that your portfolio and your experience should speak for themselves. If you cannot tell what I am capable of from the work I have already done then it probably is not the right fit.