The recruiter was very friendly and, after a phone screening, an interview was set up on site with the Sr Director of HR and the Director of Operations (the hiring manager). Those interviews were back to back on the same day and went well, despite the Director of Operations being a bit socially awkward.
After the phone screening and the two on-site interviews, it became very clear that they have a very challenging client. In fact, I couldn't help but wonder (because of discussion during the interviews) if the relationship with their client is in jeopardy. It definitely made me take a pause and wonder what I'd be walking into if I continued through the process. Although there is always a need to focus on client communication and relationships in any business partnership, this seemed to be more than what you'd typically expect, and not in a positive way.
I followed up with the recruiter after the interview. In addition, I sent thank you letters to each interviewer and received a written response from the Director of Operations that I would receive follow up communication within the next week.
I never heard back and figured it was because of the pandemic. However, today, after 72 days with no response, I saw that the job req was newly posted online. I reached out to the recruiter to ask for an update. I received a quick reply stating that "we have decided to focus on other candidates for the role."
Not all interviews will result in an offer, but there is a certain level of professionalism that should be expected on behalf of a company recruiting to, at the very least, communicate updates in a timely fashion. The people were friendly, and overall it was an okay experience. I can't help but feel that I dodged a bullet with their client. However, it's very disappointing to see such a lack of communication from a company who asks questions about effective communication during the interview process. It's ironic.