This company has strung me along for almost six months now. After an intense, unpaid, several-page-long, research-heavy writing test, I was invited in for an interview despite this being a remote position. I had to follow up a week later to find out I was no longer being considered for that position. However, a different representative of the company reached out a week later and said I was still being considered for freelance positions at Bustle. The rep invited me to participate in an additional phone interview, after which I was told to keep checking in for updates. I've been checking in for three months now, and each time I get similar delayed responses: "Omg, I'm so sorry I didn't see this, please keep checking in" or "Omg I'm so sorry I was on vacation, please keep checking in!" Most recently, just when I had given up, I received a message out of the blue saying my application was being extended to a similar department at another company. Unfortunately, this only started a brand new chain of the same old nonsense. In other words, it was enough to give me a glimmer of hope without Bustle actually committing to anything. It's clear at this point that the company is keeping my application in the running for numbers purposes and that no one there is seriously considering me for anything. Each stage of the process has been manipulative, disingenuous, and indelibly unpleasant. And judging by other reviews on Glassdoor and from friends, I'm not the only one with this experience.