The interview process involved an unusually large unpaid take-home assignment that required campaign concepting, creative direction, web design, email marketing, and paid social executions across multiple campaigns. The scope represented a significant time investment and went well beyond what I would consider a reasonable skills assessment.
The assignment included two projects: a Holiday 2026 campaign requiring a campaign concept and mood/art direction, a homepage hero and supporting content, 2 campaign emails, 1–2 e-commerce emails, and 3–5 Meta ads; plus a separate Mother's Day project requiring 3–5 Meta ads across multiple formats including still, carousel, and animation.
Worth noting: the project was not mentioned anywhere in the job description or in the hiring process listed on the company's website, which outlined four stages: Apply, Hiring Manager Interview, Leadership Interview, and Hired.
After submitting the project, I received a generic rejection email with no feedback. When I followed up, I was told the work lacked polish and refinement, but no specific or actionable examples were provided. The project was completed without access to brand guidelines or a design system, which made the feedback difficult to evaluate in a meaningful way.
Given the amount of unpaid labor requested from candidates, I found the process disappointing and unprofessional. Creative professionals should carefully consider the time commitment before proceeding with this interview process.
