I was contacted by a headhunter in the UK who told me about the role, and it sounded genuinely interesting, so I sent my CV to the company. They agreed to meet with me, and in total I completed four interviews with them.
The first interview was with the CSM Manager, which went really well — we shared the same work philosophy, and I honestly believe we would have made a great team. Then I was asked to complete a practical case with the CSM Manager and a newly appointed VP of Customer Service, a case on which I spent several hours preparing. After that, I had another interview with the same two people, and having passed those steps, they told me they saw me as a good fit for managing strategic accounts.
They scheduled a fifth interview with the Head of KAM, a 30-minute conversation that I felt went quite well — although clearly not as well as I thought, considering what came afterwards. This interview took place on a Thursday, and I was told I would receive feedback soon, either on Friday or early the following week.
The following Wednesday, after not hearing anything, I emailed both the CSM Manager and the headhunter. The headhunter replied saying that feedback would come soon. The next day, still without any news, I contacted him again, assuming at that point that I had not passed the final interview but at least hoping to receive a clear answer. He then confirmed that it was a no, but that the CSM Manager wanted to provide me with feedback personally.
Regardless of the outcome, I truly believe that spending hours preparing, dealing with the stress, and showing full commitment throughout the process deserves a minimum level of respect from companies — especially when you are already at such an advanced stage. In the end, it makes you wonder: if they treat candidates this way, how do they treat their clients?