Met with one woman. I was not moved to the next round. Sounds like a good company. The first lady I met seemed really nice. I was hoping I'd get moved forward but no dice.

There are several questionable aspects of Yardzen’s interview process that I encourage candidates to be aware of. As is typical when hiring for design positions, an assignment is included as a means to measure candidates' skill sets. This practice can be abused by companies looking for free work and may not actually intend to fill a position. Here are some red flags to look out for in regards to a company's intent: 1. You are instructed to email the assignment directly to the interviewing / hiring personnel upon completion. - This is the most obvious sign of exploitation. Not only is it regarded as unprofessional (a scam) within the professional design community but also shows a complete disregard of the value of design services. The appropriate request would be to present your completed task in a scheduled meeting. At no point should you be asked to give them the assignment files, design files, or .pdf copies. - There are several recommended ways you can protect yourself in this circumstance: - Regardless of your experience level, you have the right to request to present your work in a scheduled meeting in lieu of providing the assignment files. You also have the right to ask that no screenshots be taken. Presenting your work also allows you to properly walk them through your process and decision-making. - Request they sign an NDA to prevent your work from being distributed and from being replicated by a 3rd party. - Include a copyright notice on each page as a reminder that you are not providing permission for them to use your work. - Provide an invoice if you are performing any labor that is of financial value and include the estimated value of the work. Add a note explaining the circumstances under which the labor is complimentary. If you are later asked to provide the files (hired or not hired) you can request compensation reflecting the estimate on your invoice. This also is a good way for companies to better understand the actual cost of design services and the task they request.  - If you encounter resistance from the company for any of the above items, the probability of an intent to exploit is very high. These are all standard practices that companies (with credibility & integrity) are familiar with.  2. There is a discrepancy between the description of the task in the initial interviews, the actual task instructions, and what the task actually requires. This may include quantity, time to complete, expectations, effort, or content. Both in verbal and written correspondence prior to the "task", both Yardzen interviewers referred to it in singular quantity. However, the document explaining the task instructions included 4 separate tasks: Task 1. Create a Brand Guide for Yardzen In no way should this be considered an appropriate assignment for the hiring process. Regardless of the detail level, a Brand Guide is a strategic document that requires many series of revisions. The interviewers themselves mentioned that they did not already have a Brand Guide. There are many resources available to check the standard pricing for Brand Guides. The American Institute of Graphic Arts (AIGA) or Adobe for starts. Brand Guidelines, even of lesser detail cost in the thousands of dollars, and for good reason. Task 2. Create an Infographic they can share on their social media accounts and website.  Task 3. Create an Ad for their paid social campaigns Task 4. Provide 3 brands you admire and why (This is acceptable) Another sign to look out for when you are concerned about a company's credibility is the language of their reviews here on Glassdoor or elsewhere. Is there a pattern in punctuation, titles, word/sentence quantity, tone and/or dates? Is there any variety in ratings or superficial vs detailed reviews? With the steep rise of fake online reviews over the years, this is also something to be aware of.  In regards to the assignment portion alone, Yardzen did, unfortunately, include the above red flags throughout their interview process. They checked all the boxes for exploitative strategies and did not provide an opportunity to present the assignment. Their listing for this opportunity has been posted for some time now, a great tactic to receive more free labor (possibly without any intent to actually hire). I hope these tips are of some help to you and protect you from exploitation throughout your search.