United By Blue Interview Questions
& Process

I applied in early 2019 and have to say, I was taken back by my negative experience with this company. Funny how the position I applied for stressed thorough communication as an essential function, yet communication on their end was virtually nonexistent throughout the interview process. After my first phone interview, they showed interest and asked for times I could do a second interview via Skype. I sent emails and set up dates, but a week or two would pass with no response, making it extremely hard to coordinate and adjust my schedule. They asked me to reschedule my interview twice, and finally, they emailed their decision to go with another candidate. Honestly, with that lack of communication, I feel like I dodged a bullet. If they can't communicate professionally at the HR and management level, I can't imagine how change can be implemented. I believe how you treat applicants directly correlates to how employees are valued. As a long-time supporter, I won't continue to be after this experience. Their mission is strong, but they seem young and disorganized. Many other companies uphold strong environmental missions and exercise professionalism.

I applied online and heard back about a month later and set up a phone interview. The interview was about 30 minutes where they asked me a series of questions about the role and company. I followed up the next week because they didn't tell me what the next steps were. I got a generic response that they would "reach out within the coming weeks if we find that you are a fit." Several weeks passed and I heard nothing. I reached out again and got no response. I think if someone is taking the time to apply to a position and has interviewed for it, it's respectful for a company to reach out even to decline the applicant. Leaving them in the dark is unprofessional and discouraging.

The interview process was long, involving multiple interviews and a three-part project that, while not difficult, required a significant time commitment. I traveled out-of-state for the interviews, and the interviewer was late for both, though they were friendly and courteous. Everyone at the store was nice and offered good coffee suggestions; the space itself is beautiful. My main frustration arose after the final interview. When I didn't hear back, I followed up but never received a response. Given the effort I put into the seven-page project and the time I took off, a simple response would have been appreciated. While I understand the owners are busy, this lack of follow-up significantly impacted my perception of the company. It was particularly disappointing to see some of my website suggestions implemented shortly after, and my blog concept recently featured on their blog.

I applied online and about a week later, the Co-Founder and Brand Director, Mike Cangi, contacted me for a phone interview later that week. After that call, he sent an email saying they wanted to move forward and asked me to complete a project. The project guidelines were attached, and I spent a week researching their brick and mortar and e-commerce competitors, spending hours on it each night after work. I sent the project to Mike, and after more than a week without a response, I followed up asking for feedback. Mike replied that the project was great and that a couple of other team members needed to review it before the next interview stage, saying I'd hear back by the end of the week. That was 6 weeks ago. I have over 12 years of experience in fashion and retail and have witnessed many unprofessional hiring practices, but being ghosted like this is new and the most unprofessional behavior I've seen in an interview process. If this is how Mike Cangi runs his company, I wish him luck.