The interview had three steps:
1. Interview with the recruiter
2. Interview with panel of 3 team leads plus and the overall UX lead, followed by an assignment
3. Presentation and discussion on the assignment you had to do.
The first two steps were super ok, with very pleasant discussions and even some degree of chemistry.
The problem was the test, which was very difficult and with vague requirements that didn't really illustrate the expectations of the recruiting committee.
The test had two separate questions. While the first one was more than decent, the second one, involving a dashboard for an investing platform was very complicated. The question itself was poorly phrased and translated in English.
The overall issue with the test is the fact that because it's for a job in the banking sector, you can't really do a lot of the things a "Concept UX Designer" would need to do (eg competitor analysis)
A much better approach would have been to give a generic design test that can prove the ability of the designer just as well as a dedicated, banking-oriented one.
Also, the overall evaluation of the test was done superficial; if the solution ar answers didn't match 100% the expectations of the committee, then it's considered null.
Even though we established that I will present and questions will be addressed at the end, I was constantly interrupted in my discourse, up until frustration started to become visible. At the end they pointed to me that my body language showed that, and that's *bad*. I knew then and there I won't be getting the job.
While I agree it's normal to have that in a regular work meeting, you can't really say an interview is the same. You're stressed, under pressure and in a continuous cognitive overload, so any interruption breaks your chain of thought.
The fact I wasn't that familiar with the investment sector wasn't officially a problem, but I got three remarks saying "Well, in reality you actually have another solution for this problem, not the one you're presenting. But it's ok, you're not expected to know that". So unofficially, that also added some negative points.
Overall a big disappointment, I was expecting a different attitude from the hiring committee.
Advice for future assignments:
Give the designer a problem he can relate to, a problem from the "regular world". Even if the job is in the banking sector, the test shouldn't be that tied to it, because it's nearly impossible to have a real overview of the whole sector (eg. do a competitor analysis).
Find a regular, proven design test and use that.
I would suggest a whiteboarding exercise.