I applied through a staffing agency. I interviewed at Hozah in Feb 2025
Interview
An external recruiter contacted me on LinkedIn, had a brief interview with them and then they sent my CV to the CTO.
Next round was an interview with the CTO which led to technical test around breakdown tickets and ideas.
I applied online. The process took 6 weeks. I interviewed at Hozah (Croydon, England) in Sept 2025
Interview
The interview process began smoothly. I received a quick response after applying and was invited to an interview. After that, I was moved to the next stage and asked to complete a design task.
The task was presented as a one-page brief with very minimal detail. It required a significant amount of independent reasoning just to define the problem and scope. The brief mentioned that the focus should be on decision making rather than visual polish, and since it was meant to be a short task taking only a few hours, I prioritised clarity and structure over perfection. Even without a fully developed visual output, I completed and submitted a full solution based on the information provided.
I didn’t receive any specific feedback on the work. Later, they replied saying they had decided to shift focus and were now looking for someone more UX/UI oriented. Since both the interview and the task were framed entirely around the Creative Designer role, there wasn’t really any opportunity to demonstrate UX skills. It felt like they didn’t realise UX can’t really be judged in isolation, especially not through a vague one-off task with no surrounding context. Polished UI work also takes time, iteration and feedback. It isn’t something that can be realistically evaluated through a one-day exercise.
I fully understand that not every application results in an offer, and hiring priorities can change. However, when candidates are asked to complete a task that involves strategic thinking and time, especially without pay or proper context, it seems reasonable to expect either feedback or at least a process that clearly aligns with the skills being assessed. Otherwise, the task risks becoming a form of unpaid labour that brings limited value to either the candidate or the company.
Interview questions [1]
Question 1
They asked about everything listed in the job description, and also showed their company website during the interview, asking how I would improve it if I were the designer.
Probably one of the worst interview experiences. I somehow felt that it was unprofessionally done and candidates time disrespected. 1st the person I dealt with seemed nice and was able to give an intro about the company but that's where it really ended. 2rd The person was very vague about the salary and didn't provide me a specific information on this. Only said that what I'm looking for was in the budget. Also didn't have any information on benefits and whilst the person said that they will get back to me on this - I never heard anything after the call. 3rd The person asked for my content to record the interview so it can be shared with the client after. I declined this as I didn't feel its the right approach but maybe this was the reason why I got ghosted and never heard anything again (even my follow up email was ignored).
Interview questions [1]
Question 1
only basic questions why did you apply, when you can start and what salary you are looking for? The rest of the time was spend on company intro