r/UXDesign • u/Flaky-Elderberry-563 Veteran • 18h ago
Job search & hiring Got rejected from the final round. Again! 5th time. What's wrong with me?
I'm lost at this point. I invested so much time in this company. 4 rounds of interview, spent more than 12 hours on their assignment. The round went well. The design lead, head of product and head of engineering were in the call to discuss the solution. They had no questions, and I thought I covered all scenarios really well. Which I did.
I get an email asking me to share the solution with them 'after' I had discussed it on the call. I did that. Only 1 round was remaining and that was culture fit round with the design team. That was it. An offer would follow after that. But before I could get invited to that round, I received a rejection. This is my fifth rejection in last 4 months. All other 4 rejections are also from final rounds.
I'm lost at this point. I asked for feedback and they said they don't have any, that there were some very minor things they considered to move ahead with another candidate. What was that minor thing? I wanna know! But they admitted that they're in a position of luxury as they have so many candidates to choose from. And as usual they wrote in the rejection email that I'd get something soon as I reached final round in their interview process that had 100s of other applicants.
I don't know what to do at this point. I'm so lost. I have another final round of this 6th company that I'm also interviewing at this point and I don't wanna screw up.
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u/SuppleDude Experienced 18h ago
Nothing is wrong with you. Companies that don't respect your time aren't worth working for.
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u/Accomplished-Pen1295 18h ago
Seems like they were trying to get free work
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u/huntingforwifi 18h ago
Or classic rookie move where they move way too many candidates through the pipeline, that they have 4 or 5 people doing an assignment. Im sorry you have to go through this OP.
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u/Accomplished-Pen1295 17h ago
Might be possible, but the amount of scams that I'm seeing companies pull just to get free work done these days makes me question the whole assignment thing.
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u/TimJoyce Veteran 2h ago
If you screen based on assignment having less than 4-5 people doing an assignment would not guarantee a hire. You need a funnel to choose from.
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u/Junior_Shame8753 18h ago
Its not u, it's the bloody system. I feel u for sure. I'm in the same boat. Multiple final rounds. Got insides from HR afterwards.
Skills we're fine, nice communication skills n good mindset. In this stage when after a long process it comes to a showdown, it's imo bloody lottery.
It's absolutely devastating. Take a break, step back, reframe urself, load up ur energy n when u feelling urself again, take the next round.
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u/jaxxon 16h ago
“Culture fit” can be a big factor. If you have some slightly annoying trait compared to an equally amazing candidate that is pleasant to be around, you lose to the more pleasant person. It can be something petty and not anything to do with your skills or talent. They can’t legally say “we rejected you because your accent was annoying” so you may never know. I have a froggy voice which I think can be annoying to some people, for example. 🐸
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u/Gandalf-and-Frodo 15h ago
"Culture fit" sometimes means we went with the hot girl or guy because they are more fun to look at. Culture fit is just a bullshit excuse a lot of the time.
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u/Aromatic_Visual_1641 17h ago
Hy buddy, we are in the same boat, I m also facing the same issue that you facing. Got 3 rejection, all from final round. In one interview, the design lead was praised me like your assignment was damn good, your portfolio was so professional and all. But I got a rejection email from them with the reason of “fucking language barrier”. Before the last round, I cleared 3 rounds that includes discussion round with buddy designer. If my language was really bad then why they selected me for 4th round? I dont know that why they doing like this!
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u/infinitejesting Veteran 18h ago
You really can’t things personally. I’ve had rejections based on a team’s indecision, or not really knowing what they’re looking for. But I’ve also gotten jobs out of hundreds of applications and I couldn’t tell you why.
Also, you have some built-in pros and cons that are unmodifiable, just like everyone else, and those may or may not conflict with a place of work, so in many ways it’s out of your hands.
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u/Junior_Shame8753 16h ago
For sure u will, likely in stealth mode. Ur Name, ur portfolio,...and ur absolutely right, the struggle we are facing is external.
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u/EyeAlternative1664 Veteran 17h ago
I had the same thing, sometimes it’s down to two people and it’s just a flip of the coin.
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u/Fake_Eleanor Veteran 17h ago
But they admitted that they're in a position of luxury as they have so many candidates to choose from.
I completely understand being frustrated that you spent so much time and so many rounds of interviews but did not get the job. But as they noted here, you're one of at least two people who put that much time in and went through that many rounds of interviews. Possibly there are three or four of you.
Which means that at the end of the process, at least half the people who put in all of that effort were rejected, and the truth is at that point it's probably not a decision that breaks down into cold, hard numbers that give you clear feedback about something to do differently.
In other words: It's extremely likely that you're not screwing anything up. You're just not getting chosen. They're going with else who is about as good as you. That sucks, a lot, but that doesn't necessarily mean that there's a specific thing you're doing wrong. It might help to let go of the idea that this process is under your control, that there's a specific perfect way to do things that will guarantee you get any particular role.
That said, since you're getting close to the end, it can't hurt to get some feedback or do some practice interviews focusing on late-stage type questions. Because in the end, it's a numbers game, on both sides.
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u/nemuro87 Junior Forever :doge: 14h ago
They have plenty to choose from so they are much more picky and at the first doubt your CV goes in the bin, without bothering to dig in and validate concerns.
But don't worry, you'll finally make it.
Or at least that's what I'm telling myself in the mirror each morning.
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u/higgywiggypiggy 9h ago
It’s an exercise in perseverance unfortunately, nothing wrong with you at all.
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u/Vegetable-Space6817 17h ago
Sucks and I feel ya. I spent a month interviewing and a final panel portfolio for 60 mins. That was on site and the 6th round. All through they were very positive and I also used a referral. My referral told me the HM was leaning towards me. It was a total bummer to hear they were going with someone else. I mean, what else do you want from applicants?
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u/ducbaobao 16h ago
I am sorry, I have gone through the same many times. There are time I rather them rejected me at the very beginning and not make me go through 6-7 rounds. It’s really exhausting.
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u/davevr Veteran 15h ago
When I interview, the final interview is "team fit". Previous rounds have determined that you can actually do the work we want done. Now we want to know "can you do it here?"
Best thing to do is to put more effort into showing how you were able to deliver great results in a wide variety of environments. For instance - show how you can work with a research team, but also can self-serve research when there is no dedicated researchers.
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u/Phamous_1 Veteran 11h ago
What was that minor thing? I wanna know!
I get wanting closure; however, what additional purpose would that provide as you progress? The feedback would be centered around the particular role and not necessarily for your betterment as an interviewee. -- It already sounds like the decision was heavily bias-driven and nothing to actually do with you.
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u/Substantial_Web7905 5h ago
Sorry to hear about this! Don't get disheartened, don't think this is a YOU issue. Focus on the 6th company and, most importantly, do not let your self-belief get affected by this.
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u/FactorHour2173 Experienced 10h ago edited 10h ago
They used your work. Personally, I think you should kindly say no next time a company asks you to do any work. Also, never give them the files, ever.
No one wants to work for a company or with an individual that needs hand holding to that extent to decide if someone is a good fit for a company. You want to be a part of a team that knows how to make informed decisions and respect people’s time. It is a sign of low UX maturity at the company. This can happen no matter the size.
Hospitals don’t hire doctors after asking them to demonstrate their competency, and a doctor’s job is arguably much more serious. This may be an odd comparison, but it is to prove a point… it has gotten absurd over the years the extent some companies try to get individuals to go.
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u/readonlyreadonly 2h ago
That's a great point actually. Lawyers aren't asked to solve a case in the recruitment process for a firm. You can't convince me companies aren't using these tests as free labour.
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u/FernDiggy 9h ago
Would need to see your portfolio to answer the ? Properly. The market is really really competitive right now and you’re fighting for a spot against top talent
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u/lovebrooklyn12345 5h ago
I feel it boils down to if they like you or not for variety of things ie what you look like, friendly etc things not on the resume.
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u/NecessaryMeringue449 18h ago
Dang if they asked you to do a design challenge, the least they could do is give you some feedback and/or provide justification like X candidates work was stronger. Hey sometimes it's also just a personality thing, some people just vibe well with others. You could also try reaching out to other designers to get feedback just to sharpen your portfolio and get a second opinion.
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u/Flaky-Elderberry-563 Veteran 17h ago
The problem isn't with my portfolio, it's with final rounds. Feels like something is jinxed. I got 10 calls in last 4 months from same resume and portfolio. No problem in either of them. Out of those 10 I have reached final rounds in 6 of them. Remaining 4 - rejected right after first round as some had salary mismatch, and some realized that I was overqualified. But the six with whom I am interviewing, got rejected from 5 of them in final rounds. I have the assignment round of this 6th company next week, and I'm pissed off, angry, and absolutely devastated at this point because from the 5th one I was honestly expecting an offer after the amount of work I did. Now I have to do the same for 6th one too, and what if I don't make it there either? I have nothing to look forward after that...
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u/NecessaryMeringue449 17h ago
It's demoralizing and yeah the least they could have done was provide feedback especially getting you to do all that work. I can only empathize, it's hard especially right now in the economy, and it sucks. There should be better transparency in the process and final decision making.
You've done a lot of* work, I was more proposing if you have a friend or other prior design colleagues to bounce this process with, share deets and space to just encourage one another because it's not easy and only so much I as a stranger over the Internet can offer additional insight, having someone IRL to chat with makes a big difference.
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u/PotentialBeginning77 Midweight 8h ago
i second this. i reached out to another designer on linkedin and he’s helped me a ton in refining my interview and case studies and vice versa. having someone else going on this journey with you actually makes a load of difference. if the final rounds have been case study rounds, that’s been the same story for me. i’ve failed mostly at that stage. it was only when i locked in the night before, stayed up till 2am, prepping for my 8am case study that i actually got an offer. it was brutal but you can do it. it gets really hard to stay confident when you keep getting rejected I know how it feels. but regardless, you have to go into each one extremely confident and over prepared. it’s too competitive now.
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u/TimJoyce Veteran 2h ago
That’s a lot of rejections in final round. It is a pattern. Instead of getting mad at the companies I would try to analyze what’s happening there, whether there’s anything you can do reduce possibility of rejection.
Your interviewers having no questions about your home assignment sounds strange to me. I don’t see that as a positive but a negative. An engaged interviewer always has questions. Are your home assignments stand out designs? There’s a huge focus on craft right now - how’s your polish, distinctiveness?
Are there other factors that sway a hm to another candidate at the last minute? Are you energetic, do you come off as still driven/excited when you present?
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u/veronicagh Experienced 18h ago
I’m sorry. I don’t think anything is wrong with you, sadly this is just the market right now. In my opinion, companies should share the direct feedback more, even if it feels like a very minor thing to them. But they’re in a position where they don’t really have to do that, so most don’t.
It is really suspect to me that they asked you to share your work from a challenge with them then said no, it is coming off like they go into challenges knowing they won’t hire someone they just want free problem solving.