The interview process lasted a little over a week and moved fairly quickly.
1. Screening call: I had an initial conversation with a recruiter to go over the role and my background.
2. Take-home assessment: I was given a dataset in Excel and asked to write up a document analyzing it, with only two business days to complete it which felt like a pretty tight deadline for the scope of the task. I was told with what seemed like an automated email that it could take a few days to hear back, but surprisingly, I received another follow-up email saying I was moving forward just 30 minutes later.
3. Interview with the Senior Manager: I was told this would be split into two parts: first, a walkthrough of my take-home, and second, a live case on how to grow a new retail market. Oddly, we didn’t go over my take-home at all.
4. Interview with the Director: This was more behavioral, with questions like “Tell me about a time when…”
At the end of both interviews, I asked, “As you think about the ideal candidate, is there anything in my background I should expand on or strengthen?” Both interviewers were complimentary about my experience, named what they like and literally said “nothing,” which made me think things had gone well.
So it was disappointing to receive an automated rejection email the very next day with no feedback. Even more frustrating, I saw the job reposted a week later.
It honestly came across like they were quickly cycling through candidates and using the take-home as free labor, with little transparency or follow-through in the process.