It was an incredibly difficult interview process. There were multiple performance tasks (2 tasks per 3 rounds) and multiple interviews. The performance tasks were especially time and energy expensive because the information provided was dense, complex, and incomplete. While the time spent on performance tasks is supposed to be paid, it’s been a battle to actually receive payment. There were 10 steps total and raised multiple red flags about work/life balance and their culture. If not for the hard job market, I would have bowed out.
The sunk cost fallacy made their decision especially crushing. After so much time spent on this process, I had hoped to receive feedback. But I was ultimately ghosted.