Instrument Interview Questions
& Process

I had a chat with the hiring manager about my general design background and went over some of my recent and past projects. They were looking for someone whose skills really matched the specific project needs. It wasn't super intense, and I got the feeling that if I wasn't the right fit for this particular project, they might still have other projects I could be good for.

The interview process was pretty straightforward and fast for the first three rounds. I had a good experience and felt heard. Everyone I talked to was really nice, open, and happy to answer my questions. I was really excited and felt like the role was a perfect fit. My problem with the process came after the last interview when I heard nothing for over a month. After trying to reach my recruiter multiple times, it turns out the position was canceled because of budget issues from Stagwell, the parent company. I was super disappointed because I couldn't understand why this wasn't mentioned as a possibility from the start. I felt like my time and the interviewer's time was wasted since I prepared and was really keen to join the team. I'm not sure if I'd interview there again, but my advice would be to ask about decision-making transparency and potential roadblocks before you commit to a company that might not be committed to you.

This agency talks about inclusion and being the best place to work, but their hiring process wasn't great. I'm a diverse hire and it felt like they were just going through the motions. They reached out to schedule an initial interview, and their scheduling system was a pain – you had to suggest times from a list, and they had to pick and confirm. The first time I suggested times, the recruiter said they weren't available even though they showed as available, and I had to try again. We eventually found a time. The recruiter was polite but seemed to be reading a script, and didn't seem very enthusiastic. I felt like just a number. It was confusing because at one point they said they'd send my profile to the hiring team to see if they wanted to move forward, but then later said they already had and the team was interested. I did like the clear timeline they gave for next steps and when I'd hear back, but they didn't stick to it. They sent a job description recap, team info, and next steps, which was nice. But they asked me to sign an NDA before confirming I'd get another interview. I had to ask if the team had confirmed they'd set up an interview, because I don't sign NDAs 'just in case.' They said it was okay to wait until confirmation and I'd hear tomorrow. Tomorrow passed with no update. I followed up two days later and was told I'd hear by end of day. Nothing. I followed up again several days later and got a canned response saying they weren't moving forward with my candidacy. I asked for feedback, since I was told the hiring team was interested, but got no response. I also didn't get a response about another similar role. I usually get to the final stages and sometimes get multiple offers, so I doubt it was my interview skills. It's a waste of time to schedule interviews with candidates you're not interested in. My experience didn't match their messaging at all. Onward and upward.

Had a phone screen with the recruiter, then an assessment, then two rounds with finance/accounting employees, first with two folks, then two more folks. Everyone was nice and genuine, and I felt like I could work with them. But after all the work I put in — researching, talking to 5 people, and doing the assessment — I was ghosted by Instrument and I'm super mad. No word in months. I was really excited and wanted to show I was the right person, but this treatment really says a lot about the company. It's disrespectful. At least send a rejection email or say you're freezing hiring or something. I'm going to tell people to avoid this company based on my experience.