I initially spoke with the HR recruiter. Standard introductions took place and I felt that the first phone interview went pretty well. I was then immediately moved on to the 2nd stage and had a call with the hiring manager for the role. I had a great conversation with the hiring manager and the very next day I was invited onsite to 6sense's NYC office for a 3rd round interview. So far, it seemed like there was a good fit.
For the 4th stage, I was asked to return to their office and meet with another team member on site. I did so and accepted the meeting. Everything was smooth sailing and I was even given positive feedback about my work experience. For the 5th stage, they then wanted me to speak with another one of their senior team members. It was at this point when I began to realize that both the recruiter and hiring manager completely lacked any formal interview structure as most of their stages went unplanned. This was a huge red flag but I had read positive things about 6sense so I decided to proceed with the meeting. Big mistake.
The 6th stage was an on-site presentation regarding their product offerings and solutions. I put together a detailed slide deck the next day and knocked it out of the park. For the final stage, they then asked for my references. I gave them a handful of former coworkers who were glad to vouch for my experience and qualifications. All of a sudden, dead silence. I had to follow-up after a week of not hearing back from either the recruiter or hiring manager. I later came to find out that they didn’t even bother to contact any of my references because they found someone else to fill the role. Really? I was 7-stages deep in interviews. At the very least, the hiring manager couldn't even send out a basic email letting me know of their decision.
It is incredibly unprofessional to tempt and lure qualified candidates only to lead them on without any formal update. Not to mention the amount of time spent on executing an in-depth presentation and the amount of effort that went into gathering one’s own references. Extremely rude. Horrible experience!