Interview stage reached: Task/Assessment stage The early stages of the process were positive — the initial screening call was professional and the recruiter was friendly. However, the interview task gave me pause. Described as a "short task to understand your thinking," it in practice required a comprehensive strategic marketing plan covering investor acquisition, CRM lifecycle design, loyalty programme strategy, EU expansion, campaign planning, and a 90-day operational roadmap. I produced a 16-slide strategic presentation and spent approximately four full working days completing it. At VP level, it is standard practice to present and discuss a task of this scope with senior stakeholders. That stage never happened, I was rejected without being invited to present, and despite requesting detailed feedback and clarification on the process, I received no response. I have no issue with rigorous interview processes. But candidates, particularly those at senior level, should be aware of the scope of work expected before committing significant time. A task of this depth goes beyond assessing thinking; it produces commercially usable strategic output. Companies should either scope tasks appropriately or be transparent about what they are asking candidates to produce.