Applied to Prezi in January of this year for a Visual/UX designer role. The process was lengthy and after 5 phone interviews with several people in the design and marketing departments, I was notified that the last step in the process would be a 2 day on-site working assessment. I agreed, took 2 paid vacation days off work, and signed a release to ensure that I would NOT be compensated for time I would, essentially, be an employee of Prezi. The first day I was presented with a task of reassessing the UX of a webpage off the current website. The team was accommodating and we brainstormed some really good ideas. After about an hour of this, I was basically left to my own devices to figure out any other UX/design issues on my own since the rest of the team was "too busy" to be involved further. The second day was finishing up the design and prototype for the presentation I would have give at the end of the day. I gave my final presentation to panel of developers, designers and HR, explaining my process, my ideas, and how I arrived at the final product. Afterwards, I was assured by my HR contact that the process went well and that I should hear back with a final decision the following week. Almost a month later, I receive a generic template email from HR stating that the company had decided not to fill the position. I wrote back in effort to gain more information as to the context of why this had happened and if Prezi had anticipated this position being in jeopardy before I had gone through the entire interview process. Unfortunately, I would receive yet another generic email in response stating that due to "re-prioritization" the decision was made not to fill the position and that if it opened up again I would be notified.
I write this not in response to the dismal news I received about the fate of the position I was considered for, but rather, to advise potential candidates to be wary of hiring processes such as this- usually termed "working-interviews." Due to the fact that I was considered and treated as an employee of the company for 2 full working days without any form of compensation, Prezi in fact acted unlawfully. Know your rights and that if you are on-site working for an employer, they are obligated to compensate you for your time despite whatever paperwork you are made to sign. For potential design candidates - DO NOT give design ideas away for free during the interview process. This is a good way for employers to leverage your skill without actually paying for it. That is your intellectual property and as such, must be compensated for it. Instead, speak to your skills, take any personality/direct knowledge assessments, or offer your references as means of validating your competencies. Godspeed.