I was contacted by HR after applying for the role on LinkedIn. Following a screening call with the HR manager, I had a second interview with the designer, then completed an assessment test, and finally presented the project to the team. The assessment test seemed closely aligned with their business needs, and it was quite complex—I invested over 40 hours in it. After presenting, I didn’t hear back from the company for a month. When I reached out, they responded to say the position had been put on hold. While I understand that business priorities can change, I wish the process had been handled with more transparency and professionalism. At the very least, candidates deserve feedback on their project or updates on the status of the position. Additionally, if an assessment test is necessary, it should focus on something unrelated to the company’s business to avoid leaving candidates feeling that their work has been used without a fair outcome. For a company as reputable as Kantar, it’s disheartening to encounter such a broken interview process, which also raises ethical concerns for designers.