I was asked to complete two set of tasks (2 hours each) as first step of an estimated 6-8 weeks process. I failed to pass the task unfortunately. The result came back two weeks later. The recruiter gave the feedback and explanation on why they picked other candidates.
I think the tasks were reasonable and relevant, at least one task. I am not a fan of HR questions, I wonder if I would score higher if I went along with statements like long working hours etc. Those questions are really for graduates in my opinion.
The recruiter was nice and helpful. I did appreciate that.
However, my biggest concern was - for all those efforts it asked (there will be few more rounds of tests and interviews ), I had no clue of what salary this role offers. I wasn't sure if I want to go through this. Haven't done interviews without knowing the full package. It's basically ridiculous.
I applied online. I interviewed at Bending Spoons (London, England) in May 2026
Interview
Their initial hiring process is ridiculous and totally irrelevant to the actual role you’re applying to. I had to share my screen, camera, and microphone to sit through an initial asynchronous assessment for a Product / UX Designer role. The task was to answer a series of questions to a logic deduction riddle. It has absolutely nothing to do with the job description or the capabilities of a product designer and is a poor hiring practice, with the only purpose being to cull the number of applicants / CV’s the talent manager will have to strain their eyes reading, I would only prefer an ATS rejection. I can’t think of a better way to pass on UX / Design talent, than by rejecting somebody for what is ultimately a creative/empathy based role over a timed mathematics riddle. It’s pure laziness/cost cutting from the hiring team and is a major red flag. I closed the tab and continued on my job search. Something I have also noticed that is incredibly frustrating is how they spam LinkedIn with every brand they own, rather than advertising roles under the “bending spoons’ name. They will list multiple roles for every brand they own that all lead back to the bending spoons website, taking up an unnecessary number of the LinkedIn search results.
Interview questions [1]
Question 1
Santa has nine candies, and decides to distribute them all among five children: Alfred, Brianna, Chiara, Davide, and Eisuke. Santa says to the kids, "I am giving you nine candies. Two of you are liars, damned liars, and liars will receive only one candy each. The other three of you are truthtelle... etc, followed by a number of multiple choice questions deducing who is likely to be liars vs truth tellers
I applied online. The process took 1 week. I interviewed at Bending Spoons (Milan) in Apr 2026
Interview
Processo di selezione opaco con test tecnici che richiedono dalle 2 alle 4 ore, monitorati con telecamera e microfono accesi. Non ho mai parlato con alcun recruiter. Criteri di valutazione e feedback di rejection non comunicati.
Il processo di selezione include test logici iniziali, challenge UX approfondita, colloqui HR e tecnici. È strutturato, intenso e lungo, richiede capacità analitiche, problem solving e solido processo di design.
Interview questions [1]
Question 1
Descrivi un prodotto digitale che usi spesso. Se dovessi riprogettarlo da zero, quali problemi risolveresti e quali metriche useresti per misurare il successo del redesign?
