I was referred by a friend who had started 4 months prior. I applied for the CSA position on careers.microsoft.com. Having an internal referral seemed to help me get my foot in the door. Once referred, a recruiter contacted me to make sure my information was up to date as well as offer their assistance if there were other jobs for which I'd like to apply.
Soon thereafter the hiring manager contacted me to chat about the position and to make sure I was still interested. He also mentioned another position that was similar but not yet posted. I was interested in both positions after the conversation.
A couple weeks later, I talked to an interview scheduler who wanted to ensure I'd be free on an upcoming Friday. They were planning on doing the interview in their regional office which is about 3 hours from my home. I was free and they said they'd get back to me in a day or two. About a week passed until I heard back that they had decided to do the interviews in my city after all. I was scheduled for an interview on a Friday in late April.
I arrived for the interview early wearing a suit with no tie. All the posts I've read said that they don't care a whole lot about what you wear, but dress nice and be comfortable. I did not feel under dressed during the process and I was more comfortable sans tie.
I met with 4 individuals including the hiring manager, a technical resource, a sales representative and another individual. My last interviewer had told me to wait around because the hiring manager wanted to talk to me again. I think some wires were crossed because I waited 45 minutes and was about to leave when I happened to see the hiring manger in the hall and was able to ask him if he was still wanting to chat. He seemed surprised but obliged and we talked for a bit longer. They were all obviously interested in chatting about the two roles (one of which I had formally applied for and one that was not "yet" posted). Overall, I had a really good feeling about it all and was optimistic that I would hear back from them with good news. After all, I had essentially interviewed for two positions at once and all feedback so far was great.
I was told at the start of this that I'd hear back from the recruiter(s) within 10 business days after the interviews one way or another. I had 2 contacts that were given to me earlier and expected to hear from one of them. After 7 days I was getting a bit impatient and reached out via email. I did not hear back, which was fine since I still had a few days to go. I emailed the recruiters periodically over the next 2 to 3 weeks. The 2 recruiters did not get back to me, but the interview scheduler was responsive and was working on my behalf to get the recruiters to call me. I appreciated her very much during this process.
4 weeks after the interview I had still not heard back from anyone. I was getting a little frustrated by this time and decided it wouldn't hurt to contact the hiring manager directly. We had talked on the phone and emailed before the interview so I didn't feel like this was huge breach of protocol. I emailed the hiring manger and the recruiters separately on the same day, for what I assumed would be the last time. I didn't plan on drawing the process out anymore at this time.
I heard back from the recruiter the next day with his sincerest apologies for how long this had taken. He scheduled a phone call to discuss my interview and application process for the next day. We had the phone call and it was helpful, but he was unable to tell me if I was moving forward or not. He told me all the feedback was positive and that he was going to reach out to the hiring manager to get more information.
The next morning the hiring manager emailed me back apologizing as well for the slow turn around, but he alluded to the recruiting team dropping the ball. He asked if I wanted to have a phone call later that day or the next morning. I emailed him back immediately stating I was free after 1 o'clock that day or I could open up my morning the next day. I never heard back from him.
I reached out to the recruiter a week later since he had still not contacted me as promised. No reply. I reached out to the hiring manager one last time 3 weeks later to no avail.
A few days ago, (2 1/2 months since my interview) the friend who originally referred me contacted me to tell me he had just heard the position was filled by an internal candidate. By this time, I was just glad to get some closure.
Overall, leading up to and including the interview was very positive. After the interview the lack of feedback and letting me hang in the wind was pretty unprofessional. Especially since they stated several times that I'd hear back either way. Thankfully, I am employed. I would be very upset had I continued to hold out hope for this position while between jobs.
