I applied online. The process took 4 weeks. I interviewed at Gardyn in Aug 2025
Interview
I interviewed at Gardyn for the Senior Product Designer role and went through SIX rounds of interviews, including one with the CEO.
For an individual contributor role, six interviews is excessive and unnecessary. It represents hours of unpaid candidate time, only to end in rejection. A drawn-out process like this not only discourages strong applicants but also signals inefficiency in hiring practices. Companies that respect candidates should be able to make an informed decision in fewer steps.
I was also asked to complete a case study focused on solving a business challenge. While common, this practice raises serious concerns. When candidates are asked to produce work that the company could directly benefit from, that work should be compensated. Unpaid design challenges are essentially free consulting and are unfair to candidates, especially at senior levels.
Additionally, I was asked for feedback on the Gardyn app. I had downloaded it beforehand but could not access meaningful features without creating an account and owning a system. While I take responsibility for not fully creating an account, the company could better support candidates by either suggesting they sign up beforehand or providing access to a demo environment. Without this, candidates are left to make assumptions about the product experience.
For future candidates: Be prepared for a lengthy, time-intensive process, unpaid project work, and limited product access. Unless Gardyn addresses these issues by streamlining their interviews, compensating for case studies, and supporting candidates with the right tools, the process will remain inefficient and unnecessarily burdensome.
Interview questions [1]
Question 1
If you started tomorrow and you could change anything about the app what would you do?
The interviewer contacted me through several channels and appeared very enthusiastic regarding my qualifications. I spent two days researching the company and preparing for the interview, including my presentation.
Then at the last minute the interviewer cancelled, with the excuse that after further reviewing my qualifications it was decided that I was not the right candidate for the position! Shouldn’t they have determined my qualifications before the interview? Judging by the other negative reviews here, this seems to be a trend.
I applied through a recruiter. The process took 3 weeks. I interviewed at Gardyn (Bethesda, MD) in Jan 2023
Interview
Fairly straightforward. Hiring manager had great questions. Met with several people over about 3 weeks. HR was very professional and got back to me in a timely manner. I got an offer but didnt end up taking it.