I applied online. I interviewed at Core Home (New York, NY) in Dec 2025
Interview
The first interview was virtual with the head of that department, and the second was in-person at their New York office with the CEO. It took about 2 weeks.
The first interview was very casual and as expected, and I enjoyed interviewing with her. The second interview was where things got interesting. The day of, I was asked to reschedule my interview to a later time as something has come up and the CEO ended up being late even after I rescheduled.
I was brought into the office after waiting about 20 minutes, and then had to wait an additional 5–10 minutes before the interview began. Unfortunately, the experience quickly became one of the most unprofessional interviews I’ve encountered. My personality was commented on inappropriately, and halfway through the interview I was told that the role I was interviewing for had already been filled. The CEO also asked me to repeat phrases back to him during the conversation, which felt unusual and uncomfortable. At the end, I was encouraged to reach out about another position, only to be told by an assistant the next day that this “new” role had already been filled within 24 hours. Overall, the process felt disorganized and poorly managed.
I didn't feel comfortable, nor would I feel comfortable working for a company where business was conducted in such a way.
Interview questions [1]
Question 1
Have you managed any accounts in your previous roles?
Reached from LinkedIn, completed first round of interviews while I was freelancing. Was asked to do a sketch sprint, When I asked for how many hours, so it may not conflict with my freelancing, they could not give me a straight answer. I expressed my concern with the sprint conflicting with my job, and I did not hear back for second round. If you are desperate for a job, I guess this is for you. I am just not one to do free labor and that's a hard line for me.
The interview process was:
1. Interview with senior designer
2. Interview with hiring manager
3. Interview with design team
4. Test projects
5. Interview with CEO
Overall, the team seems supportive, but the company culture appears to be heavily CEO-driven. I understand this, as he is the owner of the company. However, during the interview, CEO treated the candidate with no respect—it felt very rude and unprofessional.
Regarding the test project, it was essentially free work for them. They requested TWO test projects that were directly related to their products. There was no concrete feedback or appreciation. They just collect candidates’ free work as data—who knows how they’re using it?