BrandMuscle Graphic Designer Interview Questions
& Process

There were three rounds for the interview. The first was a screening call, then there was a design test, followed by a second interview, and then a third interview. I only made it to the second round.

I applied online and got a call from HR. Then I went for an in-person interview at their office in Willis Tower. It was a short interview with a Creative Director, who asked some basic questions. Afterward, they said they'd be in touch. A week later, HR called and invited me for a second interview. I felt they didn't value my time during the first interview, and the Creative Director seemed unprepared. My impression was that the company might be good for recent grads willing to accept less than 50K, which wasn't me. I asked about salary, and they declined to provide a range, asking my expectations instead. I stated my range started at 55K. The next day, they emailed saying that was more than they wanted to spend. It seems like a young company with inexperienced, possibly underpaid staff. It might be a good opportunity for some, but it wasn't for me. I think the reviews online are mostly accurate if you ignore the overly positive HR reviews and the very negative former employee reviews.

I got a call and they set up an interview. Before that, I had to download some files and do a couple of projects as a design test and email them back. This person was very direct, like she had many people to get through. I felt like a number. Google Maps was wrong so I couldn't find the building, and I called for help. I got there really early, so I wasn't late. One interviewer was professional, but the other was incredibly rude and uninterested. They clearly wanted to leave and were bored. They didn't even look at my test. I felt overqualified and wanted to talk about the test, but they didn't seem to know anything about it. The brand manual also had tons of errors and typos. I guess they were offended I noticed, but I thought that was part of the test. It didn't go well. I quickly realized it wasn't about qualifications as much as if they personally liked you, and I was obviously too old and professional. They were very immature with few social skills. Or maybe they were sick. They were bored looking through my awesome portfolio and wanted to go home. I eventually had to ask about compensation before they ended it, and they offered a ridiculously low wage. It wouldn't even be minimum wage considering personal expenses aren't covered for part-timers. It seems like a company looking for free work. If they had just looked at my resume and work initially, we could have saved so much time. Clearly, I'm not going to produce junk for minimum wage when I'm looking for a career at a mid-to-senior level.