What a chaotic recruitment experience - full of miscommunication and last-minute changes.
First, I was auto-rejected for being based in the UK, even though the role was advertised as remote (with no mention of location restrictions). It implied the role was open to both UK and EU residents, but apparently not.
The initial interview with HR was okay, though the interviewer seemed distracted. One of the main reasons I applied was that the job listing clearly said there would be just 2 interview stages - a screening call and a conversation with the hiring manager. That turned out to be false. I later learned there were actually 4 stages, including a live design task (basically spec work), a portfolio/behavioural interview, and a values interview.
I was invited to the 2nd stage directly during the screening call. Then, out of nowhere, I received a cancellation email saying the role had already been filled. There was no communication that other candidates were further ahead or that a decision was close.
This has never happened to me before, and I find it incredibly disrespectful to candidates, especially after waiting weeks just to be invited to the 1st stage and preparing for a live task. This experience left me with the impression that the company is disorganised, and I wouldn’t recommend applying here.