This was a very interesting interview process and one that I felt I should warn others about. The first interview was with the recruiter which was an enjoyable conversation. The 2nd and 3rd interviews were then with the hiring manager and the VP which were normal interviews. Nothing out of the ordinary and I wouldn't call it positive or negative, just an average conversation and review of experience, job, etc. I was also informed by the VP that the hiring manager would be making a decision within that week and to "definitely let them know if I got any other offers in the meantime so they would have a chance to compete". Usually if someone advises you of that, you have a pretty good chance right?
Come to find out afterwards that due to the fact that the hiring manager couldn't seem to make a decision, the company then wants you to spend a significant amount of time on 3 separate exercises for them to even have a chance to continue to compete in the interview process against several other candidates! Now, for most acceptable spec work a company asks you to do as a part of an interview process, the industry average amount is usually something that takes no more than 1-2 hours to complete (look it up), however with this job, as I felt that my experience lined up exactly with what they were looking for and based on the feedback that I had received from the 3 different people that I spoke to, I chose to put in the extra time to ensure that I had a good chance at this position. With that being said, the amount of time, research and work that was required for these exercises took in upwards of 12-16 hours to complete. This was time that could have been used by any of the candidates on other opportunities, existing work responsibilities or any other time efforts, but to require someone to spend this much time on free work to just have a chance against others is very unusual, completely unprofessional and unacceptable.
So, be forewarned if you apply to this company..and if you choose to do all this free spec work just for a chance at an interview, at least be sure that the company wont be using your ideas for free without offering you a job or even a paid rate for your time!
