Senior Product Designer

Candidate navigated 6 comprehensive interview stages: recruiter screen, portfolio deep dive, app critique, and three behavioral loops with design directors. The recruiter called candidate to report that feedback was uniformly enthusiastic and that an offer packet was being assembled for compensation committee approval. Following that call, recruiter never answered emails or LinkedIn messages for 40 days. Candidate discovered via industry news that the division had initiated an internal headcount pause. 📋 Uncompensated Assessment Details: Past-work portfolio walkthrough and dedicated app critique design exercise ⭐ Ghost Severity Rating: 4.08 / 5.0 Rating Analysis: Substantial rating resulting from enduring 6 exhaustive interview rounds (4.8), verbal confirmation of pending offer followed by total silence (3.8), and cyclical reposting of the role under new job IDs (4.0). Rubric Breakdown: Silence: 3.8/5.0 | Rounds: 4.8/5.0 | Take-Home: 3.5/5.0 | Reposting: 4.0/5.0 | Consensus: 4.2/5.0 🔗 Community Discussion & Evidence: Reddit (435 upvotes, 87 comments) — https://www.reddit.com/r/recruitinghell/comments/16l9o22/meta_design_loop_offer_limbo_ghosted/ 🔍 LinkedIn Footprint: Cyclic Refreshes (every 30 days). Re-listed on LinkedIn under a refreshed job requisition ID 45 days after candidate communication was dropped. Glassdoor interview ratings cite recruiter departures and sudden requisition cancellations leaving candidates stranded.