The interview process I went through had four stages: the Recruiter Screen, Technical Interview, Design Challenge Assignment, and an in-person Creative Interview. The interviewers were kind, and the questions were relevant and appropriate for the role. The scheduling was very fast-paced, and I ended up completing the first three stages within a week. I did not advance to the 4th stage. The Technical Interview leaned heavily toward a mechanical engineering background, so I spent a few days preparing for it. I was informed that each stage would be evaluated as part of the whole, which made me feel confident that I was performing well. I particularly invested a lot of effort into the take-home Design Challenge, where I brainstormed, built physical prototypes, tested, and created detailed videos of the process—all within a week, alongside my preparation for the Technical Interview and my current job responsibilities. Despite this effort, it was disheartening to learn that my slides and videos, weren’t reviewed at all, and my files were never opened. This was especially brutal because I was told during the interview that everyone on the team would be seeing my submission. I finally got the rejection email after over a week of waiting. After putting in so many hours and adding creative touches to the project, being rejected without any feedback was difficult. I also found it unprofessional that my request for feedback went unanswered, leaving me with no understanding of where my application may have fallen short.