My interview process lasted approximately one month and consisted of four stages, including an initial interview with the recruiter. I reached the final stage, which involved a panel interview with two interviewers. I had expected to receive an update shortly after the New Year, allowing for delays due to the holiday period; however, no update was provided.
After the holidays, I followed up with the recruiter multiple times but received no response.
Eventually, I contacted one of the panel interviewers directly, after which the recruiter informed me that the position had been filled internally. This was particularly frustrating given that I had not initiated the application process and had been contacted directly by the recruiter via LinkedIn.
My concern with this process is that when a candidate progresses to the final stage—especially after investing significant time and effort throughout a lengthy process—it is a reasonable expectation and professional courtesy for the recruiter to communicate the outcome in a timely and transparent manner.
In all my years of participating in interview processes, this has been by far my worst experience.