I had a contact at Gong who referred me to the role. The recruiter reached out a couple weeks later to set up the initial interview. The rest of the process was as follows:
- Hiring manager interview (45 minutes)
- Writing assessment
- 2x Teammate interview (30 minutes each)
- 2x Director-level interview (30 minutes)
- Tiebreaker VP interview (30 minutes)
After the VP interview, I was informed that I had been selected for the role. I sent references, both of whom were contacted and verified. The recruiter informed me that the offer letter was out for leadership approval. I was thrilled! This role was exactly what I had been looking for.
However, a week later, I was informed that due to "strategic shifts" at the leadership (CMO) level, the role was being paused. After a couple more weeks of the team fighting to get the role approved, the final decision came through that they would not be hiring for it after all.
To say I was disappointed would be an understatement. After spending so much time prepping, interviewing, and learning for this role—and giving up other offers and opportunities for it—and then having it pulled at the last minute? That was devastating. And as someone navigating unemployment, it was a pretty brutal blow.
My "negative experience" rating comes with a caveat: everybody I talked to was absolutely incredible. I loved the team, I loved the people I met with, and I loved the prospect of working with them all. But a really great interview process was severely tarnished by the way it all ended.
My advice for Gong would be to ensure, in the future, that the exec-level decision-maker preapproves the role so that it doesn't get cancelled after everybody's time and energy has been spent.