I would like to share my experience with the recruitment process for the Project Manager position, which required a significant time commitment and which unfortunately ended a bit differently than I expected. The process included: 1. 30 minutes of conversation with the recruiter, 2. 1.5 hours of technical interview, 3. about 3 hours for the aptitude test, 4. 30 minutes to discuss the recruitment task. 5. The last step involved completing an extensive technical recruitment task, which required developing and presenting a solution in person in Krakow. The task was related to a real project and the problems the company was facing. In my opinion, the estimated time to prepare and complete this task, including travel and presentation, would be at least 15 hours. Considering the time and effort I had put into the process so far (over 5 hours in total), I decided to politely ask if the company provided any remuneration or compensation for such a demanding and time-consuming task, which referred to the company's real projects. Unfortunately, the answer was that the company not only did not plan for remuneration, but also suggested that my question was inappropriate and that my approach did not fit the company's vision. Thus, the recruitment process was terminated. Factors that prompted me to ask: - Company reviews, which indicated that the company often requires long recruitment stages and exploitation of candidates' time to solve their real problems - Comment from the Manager, who said that presentations of this task usually last 20-25 minutes, which raised the question about the number of candidates presenting before me. The manager himself has only been with the company since February, and his team consisted of two Project Managers who have been working in the company for 3 years. So that also raised my doubts. - And advice from ChatGPT ;) who suggested that "Asking for remuneration for a recruitment task can be justified, especially if the task is time-consuming or related to real projects of the company." Recruitment is a mutual process of evaluation and building relationships. I realize that every company has its own rules, but I think that if the requirements for a candidate are so extensive, and the time invested in the recruitment process itself is so long, it may be worth considering appropriate compensation for their time and effort.