Applied for a Frontend role in Madrid (Spain). The process raised red flags from the start.
First red flag: asked to complete a take-home assignment.
Second red flag: no conversation with the hiring manager beforehand.
Despite this, I decided to proceed anyway — my mistake.
I spent around 4 days working on the assignment. A week later, I received a very cold, generic email saying they “went with another candidate.” No feedback, no explanation, and no indication that anyone even reviewed the work I submitted.
Overall, it felt like a complete waste of time and effort. I should have trusted my instincts and stopped at the first red flags.
Most probably there was no job to get started, just a recruiter training himself. Learn from this — don’t be like me.
Process:
1 - screen with HR
2 - take home assigment and review
3 - Behavioral / cultural
