I had two phone interviews and one in person interview, where they told me I was one of three finalists. Then, they ghosted me. No response or follow up, even after two follow up emails from me. Three weeks later, a recruiter from Penske reached out to me to see if I would be interested in applying for the same position. I explained the process I had already gone through and said I would be happy to talk to him if I am still being considered. He did not respond, either.
Then the next day, I finally got a call from the hiring manager saying I wasn’t selected, I’m sure because of my communication with the recruiter. Otherwise, I don’t think I would have ever heard from them again.
In the in person interview, one of the people said that he wanted Penske to be the last place that whoever filled the role would work for. If anyone at Penske is reading this, you may want to take into consideration that if you don’t show respect for the people you interview, even at a very basic level in communication, you will not get the long-term employees (or customers!) that you want. It’s better to show people that you value them, than to tell them that you never want them to leave if you hire them.
Additionally, communication within an HR department is essential. If the recruiter doesn’t know who has already interviewed and not been selected, that’s indicative of system and communication problems on a higher level.