I don’t have words to describe my experience with Storied. Disappointment doesn’t quite cover it. I feel like it would make a great addition to a stand-up routine around everything NOT to do when recruiting? It started with high hopes. They reached out to me about a role, and while I frequently get messages from hiring managers and recruiters, I was intrigued by what they did and how much our values seemed to align. The application process started off like many… Filled out a lengthy application with a lot of questions (as others have mentioned here) Was invited for an initial interview. We seemed to click, so I was invited to a second interview. They had me take a lengthy “personality but not really personality” type test. Had the second interview and was told they’d seen my work and loved it. They’d said I was only the second person to reach this stage – yay, right? This is where the “fun” stops After two interviews and an assessment, they ask for more portfolio examples, because the role is apparently now focused on presentation design (the original job description made it sound like a design leadership role and was called “Design Lead”). I send these over, but I now tell them I’m unsure if this role is a fit – can we chat so I can get a better understanding of the needs? This was followed by crickets, a brief follow up to say they are waiting on feedback (disregarding my question if this role was the right fit for me), and then silence. A month later, they send me an email apologizing for the delay and saying they’d adjusted the role to better suit their needs. Okay, fair enough. We discussed scheduling a chat to give me an update on where they’re at now and see if our needs align. I give them a link to schedule a time on my calendar. After two more weeks of silence, they send me a “performance task” request for a more junior level designer role (apparently the new version of the role I’d applied for). They want me to create 7 presentation design slides in an hour or less and wanted it delivered to them within 3 days. No ask around my availability or mention of our previous email exchange. I should have stopped communication there, but it’s my nature to give people the benefit of the doubt. Maybe they sent it to me accidentally? I followed up saying I wasn’t interested in the role and reiterated I’m only interested in leadership roles, etc. A week later, they responded with an invite to chat about my ideal fit. I was hesitant – there had been a lot of red flags. But, I thought, okay, when I’d chatted with them in person, they seemed great. It can’t hurt to at least talk, right? On the day of our scheduled chat, I get a cancellation notice a minute before our meeting is about to begin. I understand life happens and things fall through the cracks – but a candidate’s time is just as valuable as yours. Also, if you’re going to ask candidates to do work, it’s a good idea to offer to compensate them for their time and ask for their availability to complete such a task. Understand you are dealing with another human being, with their own obligations and balls they’re juggling, and treat them as such.