Not a pleasant interview experience. I applied for an associate level product designer position in Mar. 2026. The job requirements were listed as 0-2 yoe. I received a recruiter call shortly after I applied. A few behavioral type questions + logistics. The week after, I received a follow up interview with the hiring manager. This interview felt very unprofessional. The hiring manager explained that he felt I was too unexperienced for the level 2 designer despite me bringing 1 year professional experience + a Masters degree in HCI. He ended the call by saying "I wish you all the best in your endeavors. I do not envy you in this market". Rejected 4 days later.

I went through two initial rounds and a virtual onsite at Toast- 7 interviews in total, including a portfolio review and 6 1:1s, many of which felt unnecessary and redundant. Throughout the process, the team expressed strong interest and gave every indication they were eager to bring me onboard. Just one hour after my final interview, the recruiter informed me the offer had already been extended to another candidate a week prior, and that person had just accepted. This means Toast continued the interview process despite having already made a hiring decision. It was one of the most disappointing and misleading interview experiences I’ve encountered. Toast’s the hiring process lacked transparency and respect for candidates’ time. I would caution others to consider this before engaging.