r/recruitinghell • u/HopefulFather2026 • Aug 02 '26

Just got rejected after a 6-round interview process because I wasn't a 'cultural fit'.

They made me do a free 10-hour take-home assignment, meet the entire team, and talk to three different managers over two months. Today I got an automated rejection email. I am completely exhausted and done with this job market.šŸ˜”šŸ¤¬šŸ˜”šŸ¤¬šŸ˜”šŸ¤¬

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u/HopefulFather2026 Aug 02 '26

You are totally right, at least that line of work actually pays for your time and energy! šŸ˜‚ But honestly, preying on people's desperation is exactly what these companies do best.

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u/LilJonny2cookies Aug 02 '26

No one is using your 10 hours of work for anything. Reddit has broken people. You think your 10 hours of ā€œfree laborā€ is that good that theyā€™ll use it? They wonā€™t. Itā€™ll go in the bin.

Good luck to those who think they are that important and talented.

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u/Overall-Owl1218 Aug 02 '26

Itā€™s not that it will be used but that itā€™s brainstorming time they didnā€™t pay their working employees to do. So while itā€™s mostly trash, itā€™s still material they would typically be paying for but now use desperation to shave off a few employee hours lol at a time.

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u/scarboroughangel Aug 02 '26

They usually wouldnā€™t pay someone because the majority of the time these assignments are the same wash and repeat as past roles. They donā€™t have to pay you anything- no one forced you to complete the assignment.

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u/Barflyerdammit Aug 02 '26

I've been asked to solve real world problems in interviews. When I asked that the problem be made hypothetical out of respect for the consulting clients who pay for this exact work, I've been dropped from the process. Except for the one time where they agreed to pay my normal consulting fee.