1) Recruiter screen 2) Take-home assignment, with tight turnaround 3) Virtual on-site (five hours), with hiring-manager introduction at the end 4) Three weeks of silence and unanswered emails and calls to GitHub 5) Email rejection Although I was not surprised that GitHub did not offer me this role -- I learned at the end of the on-site that a contractor who had completed these FTE duties for a few years also was interviewing for the role -- I was surprised by the lack of rigor applied to its candidate experience. Getting minimal information to help me prepare for each stage was like pulling teeth. Three weeks of silence between an on-site and canned email rejection may be the norm now for less-established companies. But it definitely left me with a sour taste in my mouth for GitHub moving forward.

I initially thought it was a very positive experience - the recruiters were very responsive and friendly. I had two video interviews that lasted for 1.5 hours and 1.25 hours - so almost 3 hours invested talking to these people, not including the lengthy online application. A week after the last interview, I sent a follow up email to let them know I was very interested in the position and looked forward to continuing the conversation. First thing, the next morning I received an email with the subject line "Follow Up Interview". Got pretty excited until I opened it up to see an automated rejection message from a noreply email address. I get that people are busy, but showing some respect and courtesy to candidates who invest significant time and energy in the process doesn't seem like a lot to ask. At the very least, remember how you felt if/when you were treated that way as a candidate.