DOE Media interview questions

I want to start by noting that the recruiter was excellent. She was professional, responsive, and clear throughout the process. She followed up quickly and smoothly transitioned me to the next steps. My interview with the hiring manager was also strong, he asked relevant questions, shared the company’s goals and vision, and gave me confidence in the role. I was told the process would include three steps: recruiter interview, hiring manager interview, and a final interview with the CEO if the hiring manager believed I was a fit. After my manager interview, the recruiter contacted me that evening to schedule the CEO conversation. Unfortunately, that’s where the process fell apart. The CEO did not show up to the first scheduled interview. I waited, followed up by email, and was told a couple days later they'd need to reschedule. At the second attempt, the CEO’s assistant emailed me 30 minutes before the call to change the time. I agreed, adjusted my schedule, and logged in again - only to be ghosted a second time. Instead, the CEO’s assistant joined the call, ( 10 minutes later and only after I sent an email ) explained that she would be taking his meetings, and proceeded to conduct an interview. She was neither qualified to assess an executive level sales role nor prepared with relevant questions. Her comments suggested the process came down to “who they like” or “culture fit,” which was completely different from how the steps were originally described. In the end, I was scheduled for two CEO interviews that never happened, and I was instead interviewed by someone unqualified to evaluate me. My takeaway: Sales organizations live and die by process. If a company’s hiring process is this sloppy, it’s hard not to assume their client experience is the same. Beware.