Recruiter reached out and that led to 3 rounds of interviews lasting about 2 months. Had great conversations with the recruiter and the hiring manager. There were clear synergies during the discussions. This led to a 3rd round of interviews with some of the team members. They had excellent technical questions and I felt challenged. Finally I was given a list of technical questions that required a written response. I spent hours providing answers to coding questions and strategies.
Now the bad, there were weeks that transpired with no status from the recruiter at all. I would reach out and find out the carrot was dangling further out. Then I would be given another hoop to jump through. Again, weeks would go by with no status and I had to inquire.
The company has a clear lack of process with regards to recruitment. As a candidate I felt like a hamster on a wheel with no clue about what was going on. I voluntarily withdrew from their broken process.
My advice to management is to put a rigorous process in place for recruitment. Show that you place a high value on engagement with candidates. This will lead to better outcomes with candidates and show your employees that recruitment is important. Candidates will also come away with the knowing that your company cares about the experience. Lead with honor and respect to reap rewards in order to hire the best people.