I recently went through a 3-stage interview process, and unfortunately, my experience was far from ideal. The process started with a phone interview, followed by an online interview, and concluded with a design task that needed to be presented in the final stage. During the phone interview, I specifically asked if there would be any design tasks, and the recruiter assured me that there wouldn't be. However, in the second stage, the hiring manager informed me that there would, in fact, be a design task—nothing too big, they said. This turned out to be misleading, as I ended up having to complete two design tasks, neither of which were small. To make matters worse, one of the tasks was more suited for a UX designer rather than a graphic designer, which felt completely irrelevant considering the job description specified only 2 years of experience in graphic design. The tasks were company-related, and it felt like the company could potentially use the ideas from candidates for their future campaigns. Even if they don't, it essentially amounts to free work—a free consultation from the designers. Despite these frustrations, I completed the tasks and did my best in the final interview. In the end, I wasn't offered the position, which I understand happens. However, what really disappointed me was the lack of proper feedback. After putting in so much effort, I received only a generic rejection email. At the final stage, I would have expected a phone call or at least more detailed feedback from the recruiter. Overall, the experience was quite disappointing. The lack of transparency and respect for candidates' time and effort left a sour taste, and I wouldn't recommend this interview process to others.