Pros
Initial outreach was responsive, and the role itself appeared commercially interesting and growth-focused on paper.
Cons
• Lack of Process Structure: After being approached directly regarding my CV and asked to formally apply, communication became inconsistent with significant gaps between stages and limited clarity around timelines or decision-making.
• Screening Misalignment: The initial interview appeared to be conducted by a recruiter without direct project delivery or business change experience, which made parts of the discussion difficult to navigate for a senior-level PM role.
• Limited Technical Evaluation: Despite providing detailed examples involving stakeholders, vendors, engineers, and customer delivery, several questions were repeatedly revisited in different forms, suggesting limited alignment between the screening process and the technical requirements of the role.
• Poor Candidate Communication: Following the interview process, communication largely stopped aside from being informed that the hiring manager was unavailable. Multiple weeks passed without any meaningful update or closure.
Advice to Management
For senior delivery and business change roles, ensure recruitment processes are aligned to the level of the position. Candidates interviewing for complex Project Management roles should ideally be screened by individuals with at least a foundational understanding of delivery frameworks, stakeholder management, and organisational structure. A more structured and informed recruitment process would significantly improve the candidate experience and better reflect the calibre of role being advertised.
