The interview process began with a phone screening with the recruiter, general questions and was a very friendly conversation. He confirmed he would submit me to the Hiring Manager and due to COVID the next steps would be conducted over Zoom. A few days later I had a Zoom interview with the Hiring Manager, she provided an introduction to the role and asked fairly basic behavioral questions. It went smoothly and she said I would hear back in about a week. Exactly a week later I was informed by the recruiter that I had been moved to the next round, which was to complete an Excel modeling exercise with an accompanying PowerPoint. I submitted that prior to the established deadline, the recruiter confirmed receipt and passed it along to the Hiring Manager. That was the last I ever heard from the recruiter. I followed up three different times after my submission with no response. Finally, I contacted the Hiring Manager directly and she informed me that they have decided to go with another candidate. Very unprofessional on the recruiters end to not close the loop, especially with a candidate that is in the 2nd rd of the process. I give the hiring manager credit for informing me. In total, 6 weeks from phone screening to denial from HM.