In early December, I had a talent acquisition call, followed by an interview with the hiring manager a week later. Shortly after, I was assigned a 'home assignment' task with a three-day deadline. The assignment consisted of three parts: Contract Review: Analyse three contract term sheets, review their terms and conditions, answer related questions, provide a summary, and create an Excel spreadsheet to show my sums/formulas. Operational Processes: Describe the process that I would follow to address three distinct sales team requests, including the key questions I would ask to gather additional information if needed. Response Strategies: Address three types of sales requests that could not be supported and propose alternative solutions to satisfy the business and the customer. I spent approximately six hours completing the assignment, submitted it ahead of the deadline, and received an acknowledgment stating, “Thanks, we’ll get back to you in a few days.” Three weeks later, having heard nothing, I reached out to both the talent acquisition contact and the hiring manager for an update or feedback. Their response was brief: they thanked me for my time and stated that other candidates had performed “better” on the assignment. I found this response deeply disappointing on several levels. They failed to provide any constructive or meaningful feedback, didn’t bother to update me on the status of my application, and demonstrated a clear lack of respect for my time and professionalism. This experience reflects poorly on their hiring process, which came across as disorganised, unprofessional, and dismissive. In hindsight, it feels like a fortunate near-miss, as such a lack of courtesy and professionalism suggests significant cultural or operational issues within the organisation.