The initial phone screen was pretty standard and the interview with the hiring manager was rather normal at first...then it became strange. Too much emphasis was put on what I thought that my prior bosses thought of me. I don't like making assumptions at all, so I based it off of any feedback I had ever gotten from them. Then it was sprung upon me that those bosses were going to be reference checks. Reference checks aren't extremely common in UX roles. Also, my current boss being a reference while I'm still employed at my company is a massively risky move. While I was scrambling to get ahold of references in the next few hours following the second interview, I got a rejection email. At least I now have a handful of references if I ever interview for a role that requires them (but as I said, it's quite rare in UX).

The interview process at USAA matched my expectations and matched industry standards. There was a portfolio review and design challenge. It was not an entire day like other companies but felt like enough for them to gauge if I was the right fit as well as for me to decide if USAA was the right fit for me.