I applied online. The process took 5 days. I interviewed at Snapshot Interactive (Nashville, TN)
Interview
I applied online and received a call back within a day. The first interview was a phone screen with a couple employees. After the phone interview I was asked to come into the office and meet more members of the team. The office was nice and everyone was very friendly. I had a good second interview, though it did feel a bit like an interrogation as questions were being fired off by a small group. I've been in these types of interview settings before, but it's still a bit jarring and less personal. I feel like casual conversation and natural back-and-forth is the best way to get a feel for people (this goes both ways).
One of the questions that stood out as a red flag was when I was asked how long does it take me to complete a website design. I had read the Glassdoor reviews before going on the interview, and one of the negative aspects in the reviews was the speed that work was churned out by the studio and the subsequent drop in quality. Being that I've worked in an agency before, I'm familiar with the stress of having to go full blast all-day everyday. This is something I'm comfortable with, but constantly having to churn out work at a high rate wears you down, so this question caused me pause. Once I was finished with the conversation, I was asked to fill out a job application, and was told I would be contacted soon.
A day or two later I was called and asked to complete a design test. This is where the interview process went south for me. I'm a strong opponent of spec work, and asking an interview candidate to complete a design task that would take at least a couple days (to do well) goes beyond the bounds of an interview. I'm fine with competency tests. I get it. I'm hiring people right now in my current job and I think it's fine to ask people to do a hypothetical task that can be completed within a short amount of time. For me, this was the second red flag, and I ultimately withdrew my candidacy.
Thank you for your feedback, it is very valuable to us as we take our hiring process very seriously. I am sorry it didn't work out for either of us. I wish you luck with your future endeavors.