Ghosted After 7 X 45 Minute Interviews Before the Holidays
This review reflects my personal experience as a candidate, and others may have had a different experience.
I was contacted proactively by a recruiter via LinkedIn regarding a Marketing Operations role. After replying promptly, there was a noticeable delay (about a week) before I heard back again, which made the early communication feel inconsistent from my perspective.
The interview process that followed was very long and time-intensive. Over the course of more than four weeks, I completed seven interviews, each lasting 45 minutes or longer.
From a conversation standpoint:
The initial call with the Talent Acquisition leader felt professional and straightforward.
The discussion with the Chief of Staff went well.
Interviews with four additional team members were also professional and constructive.
The final conversation with the CEO felt very dry, which was similar to what I later noticed in other reviews on this platform. The meeting was scheduled as a 45-minute session primarily for questions. After walking through my background and work history, and because many of my substantive questions had already been addressed during the previous six interviews, I personally felt there was little additional value in extending the conversation further. We ended the call after about 20 minutes, which felt reasonable to me at the time.
After completing the full interview loop, I followed up approximately a week later to ask about next steps. I did not receive a response, nor did I receive any form of closure or automated rejection message.
From my perspective as a candidate, investing over a month of time and seven long interviews without any follow-up or closure felt discouraging. While I understand that hiring decisions are complex and that not every candidate will move forward, I believe basic communication and closure are important, especially after such a significant time commitment.
This was my experience, and I hope it’s helpful for others considering entering a lengthy interview process.
