I went through a six month interview process involving four interviews: two with HR, one with the team leader and manager, and another with the team I would potentially be working with. Every stage went extremely well, and the feedback throughout was consistently positive.
During one of the interviews with the team leader and manager, I was asked to demonstrate examples of processes I would automate in a real work scenario. I presented both code examples and workflow/node steps on a whiteboard. They seemed genuinely impressed, even taking photos of my work during the session.
After the fourth interview, I was told they were very happy with my performance and wanted to arrange a final interview with upper management. The interview was scheduled, but shortly afterwards I received a call saying it had to be postponed. During that call, they stressed how interested they still were in me as a candidate and even sent me a Huel package, emphasising that “this never happens.”
Communication continued positively. After a three month interlude the internal recruiter later told me directly over the phone: “We want to onboard you ASAP,” which naturally made me excited and optimistic about the opportunity. A final interview was arranged again for a few days later.
Then, less than 24 hours afterwards, the same recruiter called back and once again said: “This literally never happens, but we have to postpone the role again.”
At that point, after months of delays and reassurances, the process started to feel extremely frustrating and disorganised. Despite all the positive feedback and enthusiasm from the team, there was never any clear explanation for the repeated postponements.
Eventually, I discovered the role had been reposted internally only. When I contacted recruitment for an update, I was simply told: “We will contact you when the right opportunity arises.”
After investing so much time, effort, preparation, and emotional energy into the process, especially after building strong rapport with the team and receiving such encouraging feedback, the ending felt incredibly disappointing and dismissive. Overall, the experience left me feeling strung along and ultimately fobbed off.