Lengthy interview process. Did all 5 rounds with multiple stakeholders, including a take home exercise (case study on a problem in their space) which was given one week to complete. Tbh, the case study did raise some concerns in my head about ethics as well. Process started off well, but ended really weird. It was a "no" coated with loads of sugar and icing on top. From my observation during the interview process, there was a lot of focus on "humanising design". Which is so abstract and vague, I never figured it out. Many of the staff I've interacted with were eloquent, so I guess that's what they mean? All in all, I observed that Menyala is one of those organisations who has adopted the "FAANG" style interview process because they want to hire "the best". Also, because they're part of Temasek. They've failed to realise that they're a venture builder. Venture builders need to think fast, act fast, fail fast and move on.

1. Phone screening with Talent Acquisition. 2. Hiring Manager interview 3. Take home assignment 4. Presentation of case study 5. Culture fit. Talent acquisition briefed me on the company mission and what was required for the initial rounds and the take-home design challenge. The first interview with the hiring manager focussed almost exclusively on what the company requires from the candidate. Unfortunately, it didn't give anything away in terms of company culture, personality or management style of the hiring manager. The questions focussed on past work experience, dealing with abstraction and ambiguity in your work as a designer as well as experience working on zero-to-one products. The next stage was a case study directly related to Menyala’s problem space, it’s very abstract and one of the most difficult I have worked on. For now, let’s not go into any ethical concerns about interviewees working for free on real business problems – particularly for a company as large or as profitable as Temasek. After that was the presentation of the case study, which was my first window into the organisational culture. The interviewers came across as condescending, arrogant and disrespectful. Design challenges are incredibly demanding and often require significant personal sacrifice. For those with a day job, this means utilising any remaining free time reserved for family, friends and personal well-being. These challenges can take a heavy toll, not just on the designer but on those close to them as well. As a candidate, you expect a certain base level of respect and cordiality in interactions but that was missing. If this is normal acceptable behaviour then to me it indicates deeper unaddressed cultural issues within the company. My advice to HR or other stakeholders: If Menyala or Temasek’s brand or reputation matters to you, you need to monitor these interactions.