I applied online. The process took 1 week. I interviewed at CT (Idyllwild, CA) in Nov 2017
Interview
After an application was made with a resume and portfolio included, I was invited to take various tests - giving CT free marketing materials - instead of being interviewed or given the opportunity to participate on a paid project to evaluate my performance.
Interview questions [1]
Question 1
"Take our timed skills test... submit a short introductory video of yourself (for some tests only), as well as take a skills test demonstrating your abilities... The estimated time for each component: SKILLS TEST: 40-60 minutes, WRITTEN QUESTION: 10-20 minutes, VIDEO QUESTIONS: 10-20 minutes".
I'm sorry you didn't find the skills testing process to be positive. Nothing that is produced in the course of skills testing is used for production work - either for ourselves or for our clients.
We find skills tests to be a necessary and advantageous way to higher in a very competitive industry. Some candidates talk a big game about their capabilities only to fall short of what they promised in interviews and on resumes. Skills tests help qualified candidates prove their mettle and value, and helps us avoid costly mistakes.
I applied for the job and received an email which stated that the company wanted to "move to next stage of our recruitment process" with me. This consisted of a SKILLS TEST: 40-60 minutes WRITTEN ESSAY QUESTIONS: 10-20 minutes and I have to create a video: 10-20 minutes. This was only the pre interview process. I decided the company wasn't worth going through this crazy process for (They're not doing anything amazing)
Interview questions [1]
Question 1
I had to create a mock website, answer several essay questions and create an outrageous video introducing myself which the company put on their youtube page for some reason.
We don't post videos to Youtube - we have seen several candidates (apparently of whom you are one) who have not followed instructions and posted their videos publicly on their own pages. You can quickly rectify that by changing your video to private or by deleting it.
Sent an email for a skills test of 40-60 minutes, written questions 10-20 minutes, and video questions 10-20 minutes. The design part asked to build a mockup and to INCLUDE the PSD file with all assets.
This alone is flat out unprofessional to request without compensating for the time. You basically design something and upload everything up. Pay your candidates and they will likely take you more seriously.