57 days, 5 meetings, 2 presentations, 1 design challenge, and weeks of silence. When I first applied to Outreach I was excited. The job description looked great and the Mercury design system appears to be developing into a solid design language. Based on the work I saw on Dribbble, the design team at Outreach is talented, no doubt. After scheduling the interview my first point of contact was with the design manager. He went through standard screener questions. (Tell me about yourself, how did you find this position, etc.) This interview went over the designated time and our conversation flowed—a good sign. At the end of the screener the manager stated that he thought it “went well” and that he wanted to setup a time for a product demo in preparation for a design challenge. 8 days later I found myself video conferencing with a Product Manager. She was 30 minutes late, rushed, and a bit frazzled during the time we spoke. I learned about the product and she answered any questions that I came up with. I couldn't tell if this was an interview or not based on the way the meeting was setup ("Product Demo"), but I handled it in the same way as a would an interview. Another week passes and I find myself video conferencing with the design manager again. He proposes the design challenge and we talk. The conversation flowed well. We schedule for a followup meeting for the following week. I didn’t find the design challenge particularly difficult, but the ask was pretty large. The project brief states that it’s meant to “be explored in an hour and a half to two hours (or more if you want)”. We all know what “or more if you want” means. I spent 5 hours on the challenge (and could have easily put another 5-10 hours in given the brief). Presentation day arrives a week after the design brief was presented to me. This meeting was just a 1-on-1 with the Design Manager via video chat. I showed what I had and explained my process. The conversation flowed and he seemed pretty happy with the solution I arrived to and stated that he wanted me to show the team. Why the team couldn’t attend this meeting was beyond me, but that’s fine. The design manager states that he’ll be in touch with next steps, right after he gets back from being out of town for 5 days. He tells me his schedule. 9 days pass. The manager said that he would contact me, and I wanted to hold him to it, but at this point I emailed him. Another 7 days pass and I get a reply. The interview is still on! Someone from Outreach got in touch with me to schedule a meeting. 5 mores days pass and the “real” interview is here. I’m scheduled for 3 different interviews with 3 groups of people. The design challenge interview was first. This interview was all business. After a few hellos the room fell silent and presented. I felt like it went fine. Repeated questions from the design manager were asked (the same questions from the original challenge meeting). One thing I found odd was that the interviewers didn't ask anything about myself. They didn't ask about my design portfolio, my work history, where I want to take my career, why I want to work for Outreach, etc. As soon as the interview began they wanted to to know how I handled the design challenge and the steps I took to solve the problem. I understand that this isn't a date, but to show no interest in who you could potentially be working with on a day to day basis felt weird. This interview was unlike any interview I’ve had before. One interviewer didn’t volunteer any info unless prompted and appeared very preoccupied. When I asked how the work-life balance was at Outreach all 3 interviewers all looked at each other and half-laughed. One interviewer said that they "put in a lot of late nights" and hoped that they could get ahead of the product roadmap soon, but didn't see that happening for a few months. Next interview after that was a 1 on 1 with the design manager. Conversation flowed and some of the same questions were asked again. Nothing too crazy beyond that. After that, a whiteboarding session happened. It went fine! The interview concluded and I asked the design manager when I could expect to hear from him. I asked if I could hold them to a date (given the history) and he stated “How about Thursday or Friday. Definitely Friday”. Friday comes, and nothing. 5 more days pass and I shoot him an email. On the 6th day I get a reply. It was a heartfelt “no”. They didn't specify why though. I was left scratching my head. My message for management and interviewers at Outreach is this: - Respect interviewees time. If you say you are going to contact someone on a specific day, do it. Your word is bond. - Take notes during the interview.