Six Rounds. Four Hours of Unpaid Work. One Fatal Question.

A job candidate navigated six interview rounds over nearly two months for a role at a mid-size firm. The process included a four-hour unpaid skills assessment and meetings with virtually every team member, including a VP. Throughout, the company signalled he was the top choice. In the final interview, he asked what work-life balance looked like. The interviewer's expression shifted. Two hours later, a rejection email cited "lack of cultural fit." Glassdoor reviews later confirmed the pattern: sixty-hour weeks, weekend pings, and a culture that treated the question itself as disloyalty.