The process moved from a recruiter call to the Marketing Director, who advanced me to a team interview. In that final round, a few team members seemed unsettled by my answers — I responded the way I would advise a client, or internal team, thinking critically, independently and presenting solutions with detailed reasoning. Despite not being decision-makers, these individuals appeared to carry considerable sway over the hiring manager. My read was that they were less interested in a seasoned designer who could solve for both brand integrity and functional impact, and more interested in someone they could easily direct.