I recently went through the hiring process for a Social Media Manager role at Wingnut Social, and unfortunately, it was one of the most unprofessional experiences I’ve had. The job description on LinkedIn clearly outlined the responsibilities, which included SEO as a component, but after 3 weeks and being asked for my references, they sent an email suggesting they were looking for someone with specialized SEO experience—something typically handled by an SEO Specialist. If their expectations for the role shifted, that should have been communicated earlier in the process to save everyone time and effort. What was most frustrating, however, was the hiring process itself. Candidates I was asked to complete two lengthy assignments that took several hours, which would have been fine in theory - However, it is clear that internally they did not have a set timeline and really did not know what they were even looking for. To make matters worse, communication was severely lacking. I had to follow up independently to receive updates, and I can only hope the other candidates who submitted those time-consuming assignments didn’t face the same radio silence. This process demonstrated a lack of respect for candidates’ time and effort. Transparency and organization are essential in creating a positive hiring experience, and Wingnut Social fell short on both.