It was a 5 stage process. It began with a hiring manager conversation, followed by 2 separate meetings with senior leadership and C-level executives. After that, I prepared and delivered a detailed presentation. Lastly was an in-person “coffee chat”. While the earlier stages were fairly clear, the final coffee chat with senior leadership was positioned to me as casual and “not a test”. However, in reality it was unexpectedly formal. They asked off-the-cuff yet heavy questions with little context, and the dynamic felt flat rather than welcoming. Although the hiring manager gave prep guidance, it didn’t match what leadership ultimately evaluated, which made the experience feel inconsistent.