PRM Consulting Group interview questions

Started interview process for an HR leadership position with a local university they were contracted to represent in May. Their process included providing a personal essay on D&I, submitting a resume/cover letter, engaging in multiple interviews, going to dinner with a board member, giving a live recorded town hall for their staff with a plan of action…honestly it was the longest recruitment process I have ever seen for an executive level position and in asking several other executives about their hiring experiences, everyone I spoke to found this odd. After almost four months of this process, the recruiter calls to let me know they want to move forward with me as the candidate. He tells me he just needs to confirm if I’m going to be paid semi monthly or bi weekly. He asked for four references and my current salary. He also says they will send me a link to the formal application since this was through a recruitment firm. They send the link a day later and it’s inactive. I immediately write back to let them know…crickets. I write them again four days later…crickets. I check with my references and no one was called. I finally get a call from the recruiter the next day saying I should be proud to have been the top three candidates, they’re choosing someone else, and he wanted to reach out because he didn’t intend to “ghost” me. He then proceeds to ask if I would be interested in the role reporting to the position and points out it would be lateral to my current salary. I have never been so offended. I was completely blindsided by this call and honestly, the lack of professionalism. It’s fine not to be selected, but to have been told you’re the top candidate and to begin negotiations and then to have this kind of activity occur after four months is shocking to say the least. I’m taking it as a lesson learned, but given this experience, I do not recommend anyone working with them on these types of offers. Some of this might have been the client, but PRM should take responsibility for handling.