After submitting my application, I received an invitation for a screening call with the recruiter about a week later. Due to the hiring manager's busy schedule, the interview was scheduled for two weeks later. On the day of the interview, she joined very late, and I almost ended the session right before that since I wasn't sure if she would show up. The conversation itself went well, but she seemed somewhat aloof regarding elearning design and technology as she stated that she wasn't familiar with some of the tools and design approaches I had mentioned. By the end of the call, she appeared enthusiastic and expressed a desire for me to meet with another member of her team, although she couldn't recall the person's name which seemed odd since she had been in that role for several years. She also didn't seem very sure of the number of interview stages required and the overall interview timeline which was an immediate red flag.
A few days later, I followed up with the recruiter to get clarification on their timeline for next steps since the hiring manager had mentioned she wanted me to meet another member of her team. I also wanted to make sure our overall timelines were aligned based on my progress with other opportunities I was pursuing. He stated that he didn't have any information on their timeline or when I should hear back regarding next steps. This indicated that the hiring manager was not communicating with him and that they didn't have a plan in place for managing their overall interview process. When I followed up again the next week, the recruiter reiterated he had no updates which confirmed my concerns. Since their lack of communication was clearly a problem, I asked if he could follow up with her to get the necessary information. He stated that he would do so that same day and assured me that I was “still in the running.” After not receiving any updates from the recruiter the next day, I reached out again but received no response. It took several more follow-up calls and emails from me before I finally received an update from the recruiter acknowledging the delay and that they were moving forward with other candidates. I suspect this decision was made by the recruiter and not the hiring manager as he was likely frustrated by her lack of communication with him and my persistence in getting a clear answer on their timeline for next steps.
The entire process, from my application to a decision regarding next steps after an initial interview, took nearly a month. Considering they would still need to schedule a second and third final interview (which would likely take another 2-3 weeks), the timeline felt excessively long for an individual contributor role. Fortunately, I had received an offer for another opportunity shortly after that which is why I wanted to make sure our timelines were aligned for this role.
Nevertheless, given my poor experience with their interview process as well as the unfavorable feedback from other candidates and former employees on this platform, it seems the company functions in a very unorganized and chaotic manner. Therefore, unless you're desperate, I would suggest looking elsewhere.