My interview process with this company turned into quite a journey. It all started with a quick pre-screening call with HR on July 17 — nothing complicated, just a basic chat. The very next day, July 18, I was invited for an in-person interview with the Hiring Manager and Division Head scheduled for July 24. That conversation felt easygoing and not difficult at all.
On July 25, I was invited for a second round on July 29. Technically, the idea was to show me the facilities and meeting spaces, and for me to meet one of their colleagues. That meeting never happened because she was busy with clients, but what felt unusual was that I wasn’t given a choice of times — just one slot, and asked if it worked for me.
On August 6, I sent a follow-up email asking about the status of the process. HR replied saying that by the week of August 18 they would make a decision. I waited until the end of that week, but since no one got back to me, I made some personal arrangements for early October.
Then, on August 25, HR reached out asking for a criminal record check and two references. I provided both on August 26, but I first had to confirm with my ex-colleagues and a current colleague that I could share their contacts, and I also flagged to HR that they were in different time zones — one even in Paris. One reference was submitted on August 29. The other never received HR’s email, not even in spam, so on August 29 I had to ask HR to resend it. They finally did, but only on September 3 (late night in Europe), and my contact submitted the reference on September 5.
On September 10, I received a call from the Hiring Manager. At first, I got confused because she only introduced herself by name and I thought it was my colleague with the same name, since I’d been trying to reach her earlier that day. The manager explained they had received my references but noted they didn’t explicitly state that I reported to those people, only that I worked with them. I clarified that I did report to one of them — maybe she just used slightly different wording — and the other was a director I closely collaborated with on the same account. I didn’t want to involve my direct manager yet, since I didn’t have a concrete offer on the table. Plus, HR’s original email hadn’t specified that references must come exclusively from direct supervisors.
The Hiring Manager then asked about my notice period because they wanted to move forward with me. I said normally one week, but because of the delays in their process (and because HR had said a decision would be made back in mid-August), I had already arranged personal plans for early October. I asked if it would be possible to start earlier, do the training, and then take two weeks off — and I mentioned that I would try to reduce my time off to just one week, but I couldn’t fully cancel it. She acknowledged the delays but pointed out there were also delays in receiving my references. I explained again about the time zones and the fact one of my contacts had never received the email. She then double-checked if I really didn’t have a notice period with my current company, since I had mentioned that I could start as early as the following week. I clarified that I do, but since I’m on a contract basis and have a good relationship with my director, he would be flexible. She told me she’d check with the Division Head and get back to me as soon as possible with their decision.
Meanwhile, I started shifting around my October plans just in case. But here we are, October 1, and I’m still waiting for that “ASAP” call back with their decision. It’s not like I’m desperate to jump into a new job — especially since the salary range they mentioned wasn’t particularly exciting. My interest was more in the product itself, the potential experience, and the knowledge exchange, which I thought could be valuable for both sides. But after being selected, spending all this time, and having the Hiring Manager not keep her word about getting back to me, the whole process feels unprofessional. If they don’t want to move forward with me, that’s absolutely fine. But out of respect for the time and effort invested by both sides, the least they could do is have HR send one simple line: “We’ve decided to proceed with another candidate.”
