I interviewed for the Research Executive role, and my experience with HR was extremely disappointing and unprofessional. The interview process itself took almost a month. I cleared three rounds, but the HR coordination throughout the process was very poor. Before the final round, HR even forgot to send the interview invitation, and I had to remind her myself before the interview. After the final round, the communication became worse. There was no proper update, no clear timeline, and no formal communication. My calls and messages were mostly ignored. Whenever I finally managed to connect, I was repeatedly told that the result would be shared “next week,” but this continued for almost three weeks. In the fourth week, I was told the result would be shared on Tuesday. Again, there was no response. On Wednesday, I had to call multiple times myself, and only then was I told that the results were already out. Later, I was informed that two other candidates had been shortlisted for the two available positions. Rejection is completely understandable. What is not acceptable is making candidates go through multiple rounds, taking almost a month of their time, forgetting basic interview coordination, ignoring follow-ups, and not even sending a proper rejection email.

This was a 3 stage hiring process between an initial recruiter screen, team member interview, then final interview with leadership to assess role fit. The full process did require a take-home assignment to assess research skills. Overall I had a positive experience, even if I was ultimately not selected. Feedback was offered in my case and I am incorporating that in my current search as of writing.