I applied directly and got a call from the HR Manager within a few weeks. We had a kind of phone interview for about half an hour which was great. We discussed the role, company, my experiences, and expectations. A few days later they invited me for a test at their office in Sydney. It was a lengthy one which took about 3 hours for me to complete. Questions were easy, pay attention to the details, concentrate and be patient. Two days later got a call and invited for Peer to Peer interview. The interview was over a coffee and took over one hour. It was more like a PM to PM discussion like what I have done, what you have done, etc. Again a few days later got a call and invited for the last round of interview with the GM, again this one was over a coffee. Amazing person and we had a good chat mostly about the roles, IMA, clients and my experiences.

Approximately eight months ago, after the aptitude test, HR interview, I was interviewed by the founder and CEO of a company. The interview seemed promising—they provided excellent feedback, conducted a thorough 45-minute reference check, and even discussed the pay scale. It all seemed quite positive. However, just as I was about to receive an offer, I was informed that the process would take additional time due to the CEO being on leave. Believing in the opportunity, I waited and even turned down other job offers. Unfortunately, multiple follow-ups and six weeks later, I was informed that the delay was due to the company not having clients. I attributed this to the poor market performance and accepted the situation sportingly. Months later, I was invited to a gathering with over 20 people who had undergone a similar experience—they were interviewed and given high hopes but never received an offer. In my case, I had made significant trade-offs based on the hype and assurances given during the interview. Moreover, my senior executive referrals reported unreasonable explanations during the reference check conducted by HR. I want to urge anyone considering an interview with any company to be cautious. Make sure to verify if they indeed have active clients and confirm that any assigned client has a longstanding relationship with the company. This due diligence is essential; otherwise, you might find yourself back on the job market sooner than expected. I hope it helps others avoid similar pitfalls.