The company recruiter reached out to me via LinkedIn. The process began with the recruiter screening that included unexpected technical interview questions. This was followed by a conversation with the hiring manager and a technical panel with the team (no live coding), both of which were positive interactions.
However, the coordination was inconsistent. I experienced multiple recruiter hand-offs, one of which resulted in me being left off the calendar invitation for my own interview. Additionally, expectations for the final round were not met. I was told with confidence by the hiring manager that the final interview with the VP was essentially a formality and a cultural fit conversation because the team would have already made their decision. Instead, the interview proved to be more hard-lined than what I had been told to prepare for.
After the final round, communication stalled. I was passed to a third recruiter, and despite my own proactive follow-ups, it took four weeks to receive a final update, during which time I was told they were still interviewing other candidates. In the end I received a copy/paste rejection email.