The interview process was relatively straightforward; however, there's a disconnect between teams and the organization's overall structure. They're a little all over the place. The timelines they had projected were inaccurate, communication was not strong, and there seemed to be a disconnect between individuals within the teams.
I applied for a role and was called back for an interview two days later. I met with the recruiter (phone interview) and was pushed through to meet the team two days later (via Zoom). The recruiting interview was standard and seemed like they wanted to ensure I had a pulse and could do the job. The second interview with the team (the hiring manager and creative director) was excellent. They asked various questions, from marketing-related to personal, and the interview felt more like a conversation with friends over an interview. They were also open about the issues they were facing as a team and what my role would be, mentioning how they were worried I was "overqualified," but I told them I was interested in getting back into the hands-on side of things. They told me I'd hear back by "next Friday" and pushed me through two days later for an on-site interview.
The onsite interview went well, but I noticed the marketing director (in particular) seemed less engaged and impressed by what I was offering to bring to the table. They didn't want to see any of my marketing analysis and didn't even take a resume I had printed out for them. They also had less interest in learning about me as a person and didn't seem nearly as enthusiastic about me as the hiring manager and creative director were when I met with them.
Afterwards, I waited a week for them to get back to me, letting me know they're not moving forward. It felt like a waste of time after they had pushed me through the process incredibly quickly.
I also noticed small things (like how certain LinkedIn titles didn't match their titles within the company) and how the teams didn't all meet with me together, making me uncertain if they work well together. They also said, "You have our emails," but everything was done through an automated AI system, so I couldn't even reach out to anyone for a thank-you follow-up.