The majority of the process was genuinely great. Both the hiring manager and head of department were warm, engaging and created an environment where you could actually show up at your best. The take home assessment was well structured — you get a week to complete it but it only takes around an hour, which felt respectful of your time. However the final round felt noticeably misaligned with the rest of the process. It was described as a “Meet the Team” session but was in reality another technical evaluation. The interviewer seemed cold and disinterested from the start, which immediately threw off the dynamic. There were awkward silences at the beginning when it was on them to set the structure, and the overall impression was that they wanted to get through it as quickly as possible. Up until that call I was genuinely excited about the company, but the experience made me reconsider whether the environment was the right fit for me. Throughout the process, Ashby shares articles emphasising how important customer success and experience are to the company culture, which made the final interview feel particularly inconsistent. The interaction itself didn’t reflect those values in the way the conversation was conducted. The rejection feedback was also confusing. I was progressed quickly through each stage, but after what was supposed to be a casual meet the team session, was told my answers lacked technical depth — which is an odd conclusion to draw from an interview that was never meant to be a technical assessment. My suggestion: Be honest about what each stage actually is so candidates can prepare accordingly. And make sure everyone involved in the hiring process reflects the values you promote — one bad interview experience can undo a lot of goodwill built up over weeks.