Senior Product & Brand Designer II (IC5)

📍 Job Overview

Job Title: Senior Product & Brand Designer II (IC5)

Company: Dispel

Location: United States

Job Type: FULL_TIME

Category: Product & Brand Design Operations

Date Posted: 2026-04-29

Experience Level: 8+ Years

Remote Status: Fully Remote

🚀 Role Summary

• This role requires a hybrid Product and Brand Designer with a strong emphasis on leveraging AI as a core design tool, driving end-to-end execution across both product interfaces and brand platforms.

• Candidates will be expected to operate with a "builder" mentality, comfortable shipping code (HTML, CSS, JavaScript, React) and producing interactive prototypes, blurring the lines between design and engineering.

• The position involves working within established design systems, extending them thoughtfully, and contributing to their evolution through critique and collaborative review, rather than unilateral decision-making.

• A significant portion of the role will focus on information architecture, content strategy, and measurable performance outcomes for web platforms, alongside creating a wide range of brand assets and motion graphics.

📝 Enhancement Note: This role is positioned as a hybrid Product and Brand Design position, indicating a need for a versatile designer capable of driving initiatives across both user interfaces and marketing collateral. The emphasis on AI and direct code contribution suggests a highly integrated design-engineering workflow, common in fast-paced tech environments, particularly those focused on complex technical products like Dispel's secure remote access solutions for critical infrastructure. The "IC5" designation implies a senior individual contributor role with significant autonomy and impact.

📈 Primary Responsibilities

• Lead end-to-end design execution for the Dispel product suite, encompassing admin dashboards, native applications, and core platform workflows, adapting to shifting priorities.

• Utilize AI tools (e.g., Claude, ChatGPT, Figma AI) for rapid prototyping, concept validation, and accelerated discovery cycles, synthesizing research and generating design variations efficiently.

• Build and ship functional prototypes and product features, contributing directly to codebases (HTML, CSS, JavaScript, React) to expedite development and validate concepts.

• Collaborate closely with Product Managers and Engineering Leads to navigate technical constraints (e.g., networking, identity, secure access) and make informed design trade-offs.

• Apply and extend existing product design systems, identifying gaps and proposing refinements through structured critique and review processes.

• Champion and implement accessibility best practices, working towards WCAG-aligned patterns and inclusive design principles in all shipped work.

• Contribute design perspective to roadmap planning, grounding decisions in user needs and business objectives.

• Review developed features to ensure implementation fidelity, proactively resolving discrepancies directly with engineers, including code-level adjustments.

• Drive brand and web design initiatives across dispel.com, marketing campaigns, events, and internal communications, operating AI as a core production infrastructure.

• Execute within the established brand system, extending it with precision, taste, and proposing evolutions via critique and review.

• Lead substantial sections of dispel.com, from information architecture and design to motion and shipped implementation, comfortable working within the website's codebase.

• Produce high-fidelity brand assets for diverse channels including campaign visuals, event materials, digital ads, and comprehensive experiential designs.

• Develop and maintain brand libraries, contributing components, patterns, and usage documentation.

• Build and integrate motion and interactive systems (e.g., Rive, micro-interactions, generative effects) and produce short-form video content for marketing and communication purposes.

• Partner with SEO specialists to optimize information architecture, content modules, and drive measurable performance outcomes for web properties.

📝 Enhancement Note: The responsibilities clearly delineate a dual focus on product and brand design, requiring a candidate who can seamlessly transition between complex UI/UX challenges and strategic brand representation. The expectation of direct code contribution and AI integration is a critical differentiator, suggesting a highly autonomous and execution-oriented role. This implies that candidates should be prepared to demonstrate not just design thinking but also tangible development and implementation skills.

🎓 Skills & Qualifications

Education: No specific degree mentioned, but a strong portfolio demonstrating equivalent practical experience is essential.

Experience: Minimum of 8 years of design experience with a proven track record across both product design and brand/web design.

Required Skills:

• Demonstrated expertise in end-to-end product design, covering dashboards, applications, and core workflows.

• Proven ability to execute and extend established design systems with precision and thoughtful proposals.

• Strong command of AI design tools (e.g., Claude, ChatGPT, Cursor, Midjourney, v0) and their practical application in design workflows, prompt engineering, and rapid iteration.

• A strong "builder" mentality, with demonstrable experience shipping code in HTML, CSS, JavaScript, and React.

• Proficiency in website development, including information architecture, design, motion, and implementation, with comfort working directly in the codebase.

• Expertise in producing pixel-perfect brand assets across various channels (campaigns, events, digital media).

• Working knowledge of motion design and video editing, including building interactive assets in tools like Rive.

• Proficiency in core design and prototyping software: Figma, Adobe Creative Suite, and modern CMS platforms (e.g., Framer, HubSpot).

• Excellent communication and stakeholder management skills, with the ability to align engineering, product, marketing, and leadership teams in a remote environment.

• A strong bias toward shipping and iterating rapidly, prioritizing timely delivery over prolonged private polishing.

• Experience driving accessibility improvements and adhering to WCAG guidelines.

Preferred Skills:

• Substantial experience shipping production code (React, Next.js, Tailwind, or similar) on live products or marketing sites.

• Experience building custom AI tooling, such as custom GPTs, agents, prompt pipelines, or Figma plugins.

• Working knowledge of shader-based or creative coding tools (e.g., Three.js, Paper.js, GLSL) for generative and interactive visual effects.

• Experience designing for high-security, compliance-sensitive, or infrastructure platforms.

• Background in modernizing legacy products through systematic design evolution.

• Experience producing complex event and experiential designs (e.g., booth environments, large-format installations).

• Familiarity with Operational Technology (OT), Industrial Control Systems (ICS), or industrial contexts.

• A personal project, indie product, or portfolio website that showcases independent building and design initiative.

📝 Enhancement Note: The requirement for 8+ years of experience with a balanced portfolio across product and brand design, coupled with the explicit mention of AI fluency and a "builder" mentality (shipping code), sets a high bar for this senior IC role. The emphasis on direct code contribution (HTML, CSS, JavaScript, React) is particularly significant, suggesting that candidates who can demonstrate tangible development output will be strongly preferred.

📊 Process & Systems Portfolio Requirements

Portfolio Essentials:

• A comprehensive portfolio showcasing a minimum of 8 years of design experience, with a balanced and senior-level demonstration of work across both product design and brand/web design.

• Specific case studies highlighting end-to-end product design projects, detailing problem identification, AI-driven discovery, prototyping, and shipped code implementation.

• Examples of brand and web design initiatives, including dispel.com sections, campaign systems, and event collateral, demonstrating system extension and high-fidelity asset production.

• Demonstrations of AI integration within design workflows, showcasing how AI tools were used for generation, iteration, and efficiency gains.

• Evidence of a "builder" mentality through shipped code contributions (e.g., personal projects, contributions to live websites, interactive prototypes built with code).

• Examples of working within and extending established design systems, with clear articulation of how extensions were proposed and reviewed.

Process Documentation:

• Case studies detailing the process of leading design across complex product surfaces and brand platforms, emphasizing adaptability and cross-functional collaboration.

• Examples of how AI was leveraged to compress discovery cycles, validate concepts, and accelerate production timelines.

• Documentation of contributions to information architecture, content strategy, and performance optimization for web properties.

• Demonstrations of process for producing a wide range of brand assets and motion graphics, including interactive elements and short-form video.

• Examples of reviewing developed work and implementing code-level fixes to ensure design fidelity.

📝 Enhancement Note: The portfolio requirements are exceptionally detailed, reflecting the hybrid nature of the role and the company's unique approach to design. Candidates must present a balanced portfolio that explicitly demonstrates AI fluency, coding capabilities, and experience across both product and brand domains. The emphasis on "shipping code" and "building" suggests that static mockups alone will not suffice; tangible, implemented work is crucial.

💵 Compensation & Benefits

Salary Range: $135,000 - $151,000 USD annually.

Benefits:

• Performance bonus eligibility.

• Equity options.

• 401(k) retirement plan with company match.

• Unlimited Paid Time Off (PTO).

• Comprehensive parental leave policy.

• Flexible work schedule.

• Full suite of insurance: Health, Dental, Vision, Disability, and Life insurance.

• Remote-first culture with an optional office space in Brooklyn, NY.

• A collaborative team environment that embraces AI and code as integral parts of the design toolkit.

• Opportunities for significant growth and craft development across both product and brand design disciplines.

Working Hours: Full-time position, with expectations for flexibility to accommodate a remote-first, potentially global team and client needs. While a standard 40-hour work week is implied, the emphasis on flexibility suggests a focus on output and asynchronous communication.

📝 Enhancement Note: The provided salary range of $135,000 - $151,000 USD aligns with senior-level design roles in the United States, particularly for positions requiring specialized skills like AI integration and coding. The benefits package is robust, offering standard competitive offerings alongside unique perks like unlimited PTO and a remote-first culture, which are attractive to operations and design professionals seeking work-life balance and autonomy.

🎯 Team & Company Context

🏢 Company Culture

Industry: Technology, specifically focused on secure remote access solutions for critical infrastructure (utilities, manufacturing, essential services). This industry demands high reliability, robust security, and clear communication, which directly influences design priorities.

Company Size: Not explicitly stated but implied to be a growing tech company with a structured design team (Chief Design Officer, Staff Designers) and cross-functional collaboration across PM, Engineering, and Marketing.

Founded: Dispel is an AI-first company, suggesting innovation and a forward-thinking approach are core to its identity and operations. The founding date is not provided, but the emphasis on AI and modern tech stacks implies a relatively recent or rapidly evolving company.

Team Structure:

• The design team structure includes a Chief Design Officer, Staff Brand & Web Designer, and Staff Product Designer, indicating established leadership and specialized roles.

• This Senior Product & Brand Designer II (IC5) role will work closely with these senior designers, as well as Product Managers and Engineers, suggesting a collaborative, cross-functional environment.

Methodology:

• AI-First Approach: AI tools are integral to daily craft, used for design generation, research synthesis, prototyping, and production scaling.

• Builder Mentality: Designers are expected to "ship" and contribute directly to code when efficient, blurring the lines between design and engineering. This emphasizes practical execution and tangible output.

• Design System Discipline: Work is expected to occur within established design systems, with contributions focused on extending and refining these systems through critique and review.

• Iterative Shipping: A bias towards shipping quickly and iterating based on feedback and performance data is a key operational principle.

Company Website: https://dispel.com

📝 Enhancement Note: Dispel's focus on critical infrastructure and an "AI-first" philosophy shapes a culture that values reliability, security, innovation, and tangible execution. The design team's structure and the role's responsibilities highlight a modern, integrated approach where designers are expected to be hands-on builders and AI innovators, not just visual creators.

📈 Career & Growth Analysis

Operations Career Level: This role is designated as Senior Product & Brand Designer II (IC5), indicating a senior individual contributor level. It requires a proven track record of driving design initiatives at depth across multiple product and brand surfaces, with a significant degree of autonomy and the ability to execute complex projects end-to-end.

Reporting Structure: The role will partner closely with the Chief Design Officer, Staff Brand & Web Designer, and Staff Product Designer. This suggests a reporting line likely to one of the Staff Designers or potentially the Chief Design Officer, depending on project assignments. The structure emphasizes collaboration and mentorship from senior design leaders.

Operations Impact: Designers at Dispel have a direct impact on earning customer trust through product reliability and brand clarity. This role will influence user experience for critical infrastructure operators and shape the company's market perception through its web presence and marketing materials. The ability to ship code and leverage AI directly contributes to faster product development cycles and more innovative brand campaigns, impacting business agility and growth.

Growth Opportunities:

• Skill Specialization: Deepen expertise in AI-driven design workflows, advanced prototyping, and coding for design implementation (React, Next.js, Tailwind).

• Cross-Disciplinary Mastery: Further develop proficiency across both product design and brand/web design, becoming a versatile leader in integrated design strategy.

• System Ownership: Potentially take on greater responsibility for evolving and maintaining Dispel's product design system and brand guidelines.

• Leadership Potential: While an IC role, the seniority and scope offer a pathway to lead specific design initiatives, mentor junior designers, or potentially move into design management roles in the future.

• Technical Exploration: Opportunities to explore cutting-edge technologies like shader-based coding and generative effects, pushing the boundaries of digital design.

📝 Enhancement Note: The IC5 designation signifies a highly experienced individual contributor with the capacity to operate independently and drive significant projects. Growth opportunities are framed around deepening existing specialized skills (AI, coding, system design) and expanding cross-disciplinary expertise, aligning with Dispel's innovative and integrated approach to design.

🌐 Work Environment

Office Type: Dispel operates on a remote-first model, offering flexibility and autonomy. An optional office space is available in Brooklyn, NY, providing a physical hub for those who prefer or require in-person collaboration.

Office Location(s): Primarily remote within the United States. An optional physical office is located in Brooklyn, NY.

Workspace Context:

• Remote-First Culture: Emphasizes asynchronous communication, self-management, and digital collaboration tools to connect distributed teams.

• Collaborative Digital Environment: Designers will leverage tools like Figma, Adobe Creative Suite, and potentially communication platforms (Slack, Zoom) to interact with product managers, engineers, and marketing teams.

• Integrated Tooling: The environment encourages the use of AI tools, coding editors (like Cursor), and prototyping software directly within the design workflow, fostering a hands-on, iterative process.

• Optional Physical Hub: The Brooklyn office offers a space for optional in-person meetings, team offsites, or focused work sessions, catering to diverse working preferences.

Work Schedule: While a full-time role is standard, Dispel promotes a flexible schedule, allowing individuals to manage their working hours to best suit their productivity and personal needs, within the context of team collaboration and project deadlines.

📝 Enhancement Note: The remote-first nature of Dispel, combined with the optional Brooklyn office, caters to a modern workforce seeking flexibility. The emphasis on digital collaboration tools and the integration of AI and coding into the daily workflow define a dynamic and tech-forward work environment.

📄 Application & Portfolio Review Process

Interview Process:

• Initial Screening: Review of resume and portfolio to assess experience, skill alignment, and demonstration of the required hybrid product/brand and AI/coding capabilities.

• Portfolio Deep Dive: A session with senior design leadership (e.g., Chief Design Officer, Staff Designers) to thoroughly review portfolio case studies, focusing on AI integration, coding contributions, system thinking, and problem-solving approaches. Expect detailed questions about specific projects, your process, and your rationale.

• Technical/Skills Assessment: Potential for a design challenge or a coding exercise. This may involve extending a design system, creating a rapid prototype using AI and code, or solving a specific product/brand problem within a time constraint. Be prepared to discuss your approach to prompt engineering and code implementation.

• Cross-Functional Interviews: Meetings with Product Managers and Engineering Leads to assess collaboration style, communication skills, and ability to navigate technical constraints and trade-offs in a remote setting.

• Final Round: Discussion with leadership, potentially focusing on strategic thinking, cultural fit, and long-term vision for design at Dispel.

Portfolio Review Tips:

• Highlight Hybridity: Ensure your portfolio prominently features work that spans both product design and brand/web design. Clearly label and organize projects to showcase this range.

• Show, Don't Just Tell: For each project, include tangible outputs: shipped code examples (link to GitHub or live site), interactive prototypes, AI-generated assets with explanations of their role, and production-quality brand visuals.

• Detail AI & Code Contributions: Dedicate sections or specific project descriptions to how you used AI tools and wrote code. Explain your prompt strategies, workflow optimizations, and the impact of your code contributions on the final output.

• Focus on Systems Thinking: Demonstrate your understanding and application of design systems. Show how you extended existing systems, maintained consistency, and contributed to their evolution.

• Quantify Impact: Where possible, use metrics to demonstrate the success of your designs – e.g., improved conversion rates, faster development times, enhanced user engagement, or positive feedback from stakeholders.

• Tell a Story: For each case study, craft a narrative that outlines the problem, your process (including AI/code use), your solutions, and the outcomes.

Challenge Preparation:

• AI Prompt Engineering: Practice crafting effective prompts for various design tasks (ideation, asset generation, prototyping) using different AI models. Be ready to explain your prompt selection criteria.

• Code Implementation: Refresh your skills in HTML, CSS, JavaScript, and React. Be prepared to discuss how you'd implement specific UI elements or interactions, or to write/review simple code snippets.

• Design System Application: Familiarize yourself with common design system principles and be ready to apply them to a given scenario or critique an existing system.

• Problem Decomposition: Practice breaking down complex product or brand challenges into manageable design steps, considering technical feasibility and AI leverage.

📝 Enhancement Note: The interview process is designed to rigorously assess a candidate's unique blend of skills: advanced product and brand design, AI fluency, and direct coding ability. Candidates should prepare to demonstrate practical application of these skills through their portfolio and potential challenges, with a strong emphasis on tangible output and collaborative problem-solving.

🛠 Tools & Technology Stack

Primary Tools:

• Figma: Core tool for UI design, prototyping, and collaboration. Expect proficiency in its advanced features, including design system management and collaboration capabilities.

• Adobe Creative Suite: Essential for brand asset creation, including Photoshop, Illustrator, and After Effects for motion graphics and video editing.

• AI Design Tools: A broad category including large language models (Claude, ChatGPT), image generators (Midjourney, v0), and AI-integrated design tools (Figma AI, Cursor). Fluency in selecting and utilizing these tools for various design tasks is crucial.

• Prototyping Tools: Beyond Figma, potentially tools like Rive for interactive animations and motion design.

• Modern CMS Platforms: Experience with platforms like Framer or HubSpot for website development and content management.

Analytics & Reporting:

• SEO Tools: Familiarity with SEO principles and tools for optimizing web content and information architecture.

• Web Analytics: Understanding of tools like Google Analytics or similar for tracking website performance and user behavior.

CRM & Automation:

• CRM Systems: While not explicitly mentioned as a primary design tool, understanding how design impacts CRM workflows (e.g., lead capture forms on dispel.com) is beneficial.

• Integration Tools: Awareness of how design elements integrate with backend systems and workflows.

Development Stack Context:

• Web Technologies: Strong working knowledge of HTML, CSS, JavaScript, and React.

• Frontend Frameworks/Libraries: Experience with Next.js and Tailwind CSS is preferred, indicating a modern web development stack.

• Creative Coding: Familiarity with tools like Three.js, Paper.js, GLSL for generative and interactive visual effects is a bonus.

📝 Enhancement Note: The technology stack emphasizes a modern, integrated workflow where design tools are augmented by AI and directly connected to development through coding. Proficiency in Figma and Adobe Suite is standard, but the critical differentiator is the fluency with AI tools and the ability to contribute code in HTML, CSS, JavaScript, and React.

👥 Team Culture & Values

Operations Values:

• Innovation & AI Integration: A core value is embracing AI as a fundamental part of the design toolkit, encouraging experimentation and leveraging its capabilities to enhance craft and efficiency.

• Execution & Shipping: A strong bias towards action and delivering tangible results. Designers are expected to be builders who ship code and functional prototypes, valuing progress over perfection.

• Systematic Design: Respect for established design systems, with an emphasis on applying them diligently and extending them thoughtfully through collaborative critique and review, rather than unilateral changes.

• Detail-Oriented Craftsmanship: Relentless attention to detail in spacing, alignment, color, hierarchy, and overall production quality, ensuring high standards across all design outputs.

• Collaboration & Communication: Fostering open communication and strong partnerships across engineering, product, marketing, and leadership, particularly vital in a remote-first environment.

Collaboration Style:

• Cross-Functional Integration: Designers work hand-in-hand with Product Managers and Engineers, actively participating in technical discussions and code reviews.

• Critique-Driven Evolution: Design systems and brand guidelines are evolved through regular critique sessions and collaborative reviews, ensuring alignment and shared ownership.

• Knowledge Sharing: Encouraging the sharing of best practices, prompt engineering techniques, and coding tips to foster collective learning and efficiency.

• Agile & Iterative: Embracing an agile mindset where continuous feedback loops and iterative improvements are built into the design and development process.

📝 Enhancement Note: Dispel's culture values a blend of rapid execution, technical proficiency, and collaborative innovation. The emphasis on AI and coding as integral design components, alongside a strong commitment to design systems and detail, defines a unique and high-performing operational environment for designers.

⚡ Challenges & Growth Opportunities

Challenges:

• Balancing Dual Roles: Effectively managing time and maintaining deep craft across both complex product design workflows and broad brand/web initiatives requires strong organizational and prioritization skills.

• Navigating Technical Constraints: Working within the specific technical limitations of secure infrastructure software and the web platform, requiring close collaboration with engineering to find optimal solutions.

• AI Integration Maturity: Staying ahead of the rapidly evolving AI landscape and continuously identifying the most effective tools and workflows for design and production.

• Remote Collaboration Dynamics: Maintaining strong team cohesion, effective communication, and high-quality output within a distributed, remote-first environment.

• System Extension vs. Forking: Adhering to established design systems while creatively extending them, requiring a nuanced understanding of brand and product strategy.

Learning & Development Opportunities:

• Advanced AI Design Mastery: Opportunities to become a leading practitioner in AI-driven design, experimenting with new models, custom tooling, and advanced prompt engineering techniques.

• Full-Stack Design Execution: Deepen expertise in shipping code for both product interfaces and web platforms, potentially exploring frameworks like Next.js and Tailwind CSS more extensively.

• Generative & Creative Coding: Explore and implement cutting-edge visual effects using shader-based tools and creative coding libraries, pushing the boundaries of interactive design.

• System Design Leadership: Gain experience in owning and evolving significant components of Dispel's product design system and brand guidelines.

• Industry Exposure: Potential to work on designs for critical infrastructure sectors, providing unique insights into high-stakes, security-conscious environments.

📝 Enhancement Note: The challenges identified are inherent to a senior, hybrid role in a fast-paced, innovative tech company. Growth opportunities are aligned with Dispel's forward-thinking approach, focusing on mastering AI, coding, and advanced creative technologies, while also offering leadership within design systems and specialized industry exposure.

💡 Interview Preparation

Strategy Questions:

• "Describe a time you used AI tools to significantly accelerate a product design or brand campaign. What tools did you use, what was your process, and what was the outcome?" (Preparation: Have specific examples ready, detailing prompts, AI models used, and quantifiable results.)

• "Walk us through a complex product workflow you designed, focusing on how you collaborated with engineering and navigated technical constraints. How did you ensure the final implementation matched your design intentions, potentially at the code level?" (Preparation: Prepare a case study emphasizing cross-functional collaboration, problem-solving, and your role in implementation, including any code contributions.)

Company & Culture Questions:

• "Dispel is an AI-first company with a builder mentality. How does this philosophy align with your own design approach and career aspirations?" (Preparation: Research Dispel's mission, products, and AI focus. Articulate how your skills and mindset fit this unique culture.)

• "Describe your experience working in a remote-first environment. How do you ensure effective communication and collaboration with cross-functional teams?" (Preparation: Highlight your experience with asynchronous communication, digital collaboration tools, and proactive engagement strategies.)

Portfolio Presentation Strategy:

• Structure for Hybridity: Organize your presentation to clearly showcase distinct product design and brand/web design projects. Use clear headings and visual cues.

• Emphasize AI & Code: For each relevant project, dedicate slides or sections to detailing your AI usage (prompts, outcomes) and code contributions (what you built, technologies used, impact). Have code snippets or live links ready.

• Showcase System Thinking: Illustrate how you applied and extended design systems. Use visual examples of components, patterns, and style guides.

• Narrative & Impact: For each case study, tell a compelling story: problem, your process (including AI/code), your solution, and the measurable outcome. Quantify results whenever possible.

• Interactive Elements: If possible, include interactive prototypes or live website links that demonstrate your work, especially those involving motion or code.

📝 Enhancement Note: Interview preparation should focus on demonstrating a unique combination of advanced design skills, AI fluency, and practical coding ability. Candidates must be ready to provide concrete examples and articulate their thought process, especially concerning how they leverage AI and code to achieve design outcomes and contribute to product development.

📌 Application Steps

To apply for this operations position:

• Submit your application through the application link provided on Workable.

• Customize Your Resume: Tailor your resume to highlight your 8+ years of experience, explicitly mentioning your proficiency in both product and brand design, your "builder" mentality, and your fluency with AI design tools and coding languages (HTML, CSS, JavaScript, React). Use keywords from the job description.

• Curate Your Portfolio: Ensure your portfolio prominently features balanced examples of both product and brand design work. Specifically, create sections or highlight projects that demonstrate your AI integration, code contributions (with links to live examples or GitHub), and experience with design systems. Prepare to walk through 2-3 key projects in detail.

• Prepare for Technical Questions: Refresh your knowledge of HTML, CSS, JavaScript, and React. Practice articulating your prompt engineering strategies for AI tools and be ready to discuss how you would approach specific design or coding challenges.

• Research Dispel: Understand Dispel's mission, target market (critical infrastructure), and their AI-first approach. Prepare to discuss how your design philosophy and skills align with their values and operational goals.

⚠️ Important Notice: This enhanced job description includes AI-generated insights and operations industry-standard assumptions. All details should be verified directly with the hiring organization before making application decisions.