I participated in an extensive interview process that included six (separate) interviews and a case study/presentation, requiring a substantial investment of time, strategy, preparation, and thought. They were very prompt and engaged in scheduling and subsequent interviews. Throughout the process, interviewers were highly engaged and expressed strong interest in my background and ideas, including direct feedback that my input was immediately valuable and needed to address their current challenges. Despite that, the experience on the back end did not reflect the same level of professionalism or interest. After completing all interviews and delivering a well-received full case study presentation, there was a prolonged period of silence (~2 months) before a rejection was eventually communicated. During that same timeframe, the role was reposted, indicating candidates had not been properly closed out despite the level of effort required. I also followed up to request access to the candidate feedback survey (which had been sent prematurely during the process) and received no response. Requiring this level of unpaid work—including a case study and presentation—while actively engaging candidates for strategic input raises concerns about how candidate contributions are being used during the hiring process. At minimum, it demonstrates a lack of respect for candidate time and effort. If a company expects senior-level thinking and contributions during interviews, it should operate with a comparable level of transparency, communication, and accountability. Beware.

Absolute joke, it’s important to make candidates feel respected and appreciative of their time. Disappointing you have minimum qualifications and no interview to qualified candidates and hire someone who doesn’t meet the minimum qualifications. To only have them stay a year as they cannot get along with management. Leadership should believe in building bench strength not be threatened by someones knowledge so turning to less than qualified candidates. Or change job description, I doubt this follows acceptable employment practices