I had an extremely frustrating and unprofessional experience applying for a Senior Staff Designer role at Visa. Despite being referred for the position, I never actually had a real interview, despite investing significant time—notably an 8-hour take-home design challenge. Here’s a summary of what happened: The initial recruiter was slow and unclear in communication, making it difficult to schedule the first call. Before I was able to speak to anyone, I was emailed an unpaid high-effort design challenge, expected to take 8 hours. After submitting my work, I was told I would move forward. My interview was scheduled, then canceled, then rescheduled, then canceled again. A few hours prior to the interview (with a senior executive), I received an automated rejection email—no warning, no direct communication. When I tried to reach out for clarification, I received no response. I completely understand that hiring processes change and that not every candidate moves forward. But the way this was handled—having me complete hours of unpaid work, rescheduling me multiple times, and then rejecting me via an automated email with zero direct communication—was deeply unprofessional. Visa should rethink its hiring process, especially for senior design roles. If you’re considering applying, be cautious about investing your time