There was an initial recruiter phone call, and 2 interviews were set up with creative leadership. One creative leader soured my interview experience enough to where I emailed back to drop out as a candidate. They have a design test with vague instructions to come up with paid and organic assets to highlight their denim for their social media, as they're looking to revamp that area, which can be a HUGE red flag due to it being an obvious way for a company to harvest ideas for free. In no way, shape, or form was this a project with fake scenarios. When I submitted the design test with images that I was given, I was asked to redo the design test in the style of work that's in my portfolio, forget the images that were given to me and use anything that I think would look good for Chico's brand, and also now put the deliverables in a deck with explanations - accompanied by an apology for unclear instructions (which were still vague and not a clear assignment). Not to mention, she was doing a huge push for me to make a reel or just anything motion. It was such an obvious lack of respect for my time and my work to request me to come up with real, fully developed social media assets for Chico's for free and THEN decide if the ideas were worth me being hired. Absolutely not. Creative people, beware.

Overall disappointing. Got an e-mail from a recruiter to set up the preliminary phone interview. Rescheduled last minute, which was the first red flag but things happen so I brushed it off. When the day came for my interview I got no call, and NO e-mail apologizing for ghosting me. If that's any indication on how the company is currently being run, I see it as a blessing in disguise that I did not waste my time interviewing.