Beardbrand interview questions

Phone interview went well. Next was an in-person interview with a fellow designer - aced it. This was followed by a timed design project where I was watched over my shoulder while I worked for 20 minutes on a digital banner - aced it. Finally, I went through an interview with the founder, Eric Bandholz. He approached the whole conversation with a totally sour attitude and a stare-down, literally he looked at me like I was insulted his mother. I believe his approach was to try intimidate me. He could not have been less encouraging, I've never had a worse experience with an interviewer. I don't remember him asking a single question that wasn't a metaphorical test, I attempted to discuss my work experience and design expertise - that seemed to anger him more. I cried when I left. When I received my rejection via email, the designer I originally interviewed with sent a personal note wishing me the best and borderline apologized that he couldn't give me the job, ultimately stressing that it wasn't up to him.

Beardbrand certainly asks for a good amount of effort upfront (or at least more so than the other 100+ places I've applied to this month), requiring a cover letter in the application and then for the second round asks for a paragraph on why their company values resonates with you, all before an actual interview. No big deal of course, I assumed it just meant that the company was a great one and wanted only the best employees. After emailing that info in, I sent a follow-up a week later... and instead of a response, I randomly got a call from the CEO wanting to a do a quick interview right then and there. I was a bit flustered from it, I won't lie. A week after the phone call, I follow-up again. No response. All in all, the company seems to demand quite a bit from their applicants but seems to not respect applicant's time and effort in return. I likely dodged a bullet here.