CMM has a history of soliciting free marketing consultation and intellectual property from interviewees and then ghosting them. I fell for this ploy, too. Here’s what happened. A recruiter from CMM pursued me on LinkedIn and asked me to apply for a brand strategy role. I went through a few interviews and was told up front there’d be a project if I made it to the final round. The recruiter contacted me with the project assignment on a Thursday afternoon. I had until the following Tuesday morning to create an elaborate strategy to help CMM build their brand internally and externally. We’re talking the whole nine yards—tactics, messaging, success measurements, resources needed, a timeline for creative review and approval, etc. I took time off of the job I get paid to do, and spent nearly 30 (THIRTY!!!) hours researching CMM, their strategic priorities, brand standards, positioning, current tactics, sponsorships, etc., and I built an elaborate strategy. It was by far the most time I’ve ever invested in a project for which I wasn’t paid. I delivered my presentation (which they recorded) and was told I’d hear a decision within a week. I sent my thank-yous to the team and the recruiter to further cement my interest, and I waited. After more than a week, I followed up with the recruiter and received the following canned response: I hate to be the bearer of bad news but unfortunately we did end up going with another candidate. It was a really tough decision. I was devastated. Regardless, I replied to the recruiter to thank him for letting me know and to ask if the team had any feedback about my experience or what I could’ve done better. He never responded. I have never felt so used in my entire 20-year career. Who knows if there was even a real job? Remember—THEY pursued ME, based on my experience and credentials. I was duped. I should’ve known better, because I even read reviews on here from other people who had the same experience. “They’re just bitter,” I thought. Wrong. They were used and their intellectual property taken as well. I’ve since known several colleagues who’ve been hired into CMM’s marketing department. None had to jump through the “project day” façade. My advice to a potential interviewee: If CMM sought you out, be suspicious. Finally, a note to CMM: You, HR person, may not condone the marketing team taking this dishonest approach, but clearly it’s a pattern—just read the reviews here. Please, instead of replying to this with your copy/paste “…we want to provide a positive experience… clearly we missed the mark… please reach out with additional feedback on how we can improve…” response, just do something about it so nobody else has to experience this from your company.