This was the most unorthodox interview process I have been a part of. I saw the job post in late September and, through a friend who used to work for the company, contacted their HR manager to see if applications were still being accepted (the position had an August posting date). The HR manager contacted me and asked for my resume. After a gatekeeper interview where I shared that I was open to relocation to DC, it was suggested that I interview with the hiring manager and members of the team. I asked if that would be on-site or virtual...“on-site” was the answer. I said that I would be glad to oblige. There was no offer to book my travel, so I assumed it would be at my own expense. The interview was schedule for 10 a.m. to Noon so I booked a flight to arrive the night prior. I also arranged a hotel room nearby. I communicated this to HR who then proceeded to tell me “we had no idea you weren’t local...this is a preliminary interview round and could be done via Skype. Can you get a refund?” Annoyed, I remained polite and shared that I couldn’t because nearly a week had passed since I booked my airfare. Regardless, I came in and did the interview on-site. Both HR and the hiring manager made it seem like I was inconveniencing them. Throughout the rounds, there were easily 10-15 minutes of downtime where I just sat alone in conference rooms. The hiring manager asked, as one of her questions, “how do you handle ambiguity because I’m making this up as I go...” That was my sign that this was a hornet’s nest. I learned I was the first person interviewed and others would need to have their gatekeeper and first round interview before I knew if I would make it to the next round. Eight weeks went by without an update. Finally, they acknowledged my wait and shared that they were wrapping up first round interviews and wanted to know if I was still interested. In those eight weeks, I interviewed and was hired for another job, so I had forgotten that I even had an open application at FMI.