I applied online and had my resume forwarded to the recruiter in California through 2 professional recommendations in my network at Edelman. The overall process took about 6 weeks and was one of the worst interview experiences.
1. The hiring manager was difficult and unprofessional. After jumping through the skills and tests hoops, she refused to give proper and actual feedback to the recruiter who was continually missing connections with her due to her poor work ethic and "workload".
2. All emails and followups were pretty much ignored by the hiring manager, especially 4 weeks into the process, despite numerous requests from the recruiter
3. A good candidate does not stand a chance at this company, especially if they have double the experience of the hiring manager, if they are an extremely qualified minority OR if they live in a market whose Edelman office is pretty much devoid of any color above AE or administrative assistant status.
4. Feedback was an ordeal. NONE was given! The only feedback was the ongoing conversation regarding "finding the best fit".