Interview Process:
* Initial Screen: Started with a 30-minute introductory call with a Talent Acquisition specialist.
* The Assignment: Immediately following the call, I was sent a demanding take-home case study (usually 7-day deadline).
* The Ghosting: I submitted the work on time. Despite multiple self-imposed deadlines by the company, I was ghosted for over a month.
* The Conclusion: After I finally followed up via phone, I received a generic rejection template 5 minutes later—with zero feedback on the hours of work provided.
Interview Questions: The case study was demanding and needed deep dive into company/market-specific areas. It felt less like an evaluation and more like a request for free consultation on internal product challenges.
Advice to Management: Respect the talent ecosystem. Requiring hours of free labor from senior candidates and then refusing to provide even 15 minutes of feedback is a significant failure in hiring ethics. High "candidate volume" is no excuse for missing your own deadlines and ghosting professionals. This process relies on candidate engagement dark patterns that will eventually damage your employer brand.