What was presented as a senior full-time role turned into a four-month+ process that ultimately led nowhere, for reasons that had nothing to do with the assessment work itself. The sequence:
-Completed an initial screening, then two extensive, unpaid translation assessments based on live game content: multiple batches of strings requiring translation, detailed linguistic commentary, terminology research, and handling of technical markup. Substantial work.
-Had an HR interview and was told the process might advance to the language team.
-Rejected in February with a VERY generic explanation that other candidates were a better fit.
-Four months later, a new recruiter reached out, apologizing for "confusion" during a staff transition, stating that my assessment results had been received positively and asking whether I was still interested.
-The outreach, including on LinkedIn, referenced the senior position.
My replies repeatedly failed to deliver or landed in spam; resolving that alone took several messages across two channels over multiple days.
It was finally clarified that the senior full-time role had been converted to a freelance engagement and placed on hold, and that the only thing actually on offer was freelance work.
In short: two months of unpaid assessments, a rejection, a four-month silence, a re-approach that referenced the senior role, a week of delivery problems, and a final answer that the position I had invested in no longer exists in the form it was advertised.
Pros: The individuals I interacted with were courteous, and the most recent recruiter was straightforward once the situation was finally clarified.
Cons: The process was poorly coordinated, especially across the recruiter transition. Inconsistent messaging about whether the role even existed, delivery issues left unresolved for days, and a significant volume of unpaid assessment work for a position that was ultimately restructured out of existence and never offered to anyone in its original form.
Advice to candidates: Before committing to the assessments here, confirm in writing that the role is a funded, full-time position. The take-home work is extensive and unpaid, and in my case the position was converted and frozen mid-process.
Advice to management: When a role is converted or put on hold mid-pipeline, candidates who completed multiple unpaid assessments deserve clear, timely communication, not a rejection followed months later by mixed signals across channels about a different type of engagement.