The recruitment support contacted me via email, 8 weeks after I had applied for the role.
--> Scheduled round 1 - 4 different interviews, starting with the hiring manager -Group MD and subsequently, 3 directors across departments. Typical questions to measure the experience and relevance to their team.
--> Was contacted for Round 2 a week after citing the year-end rush, the recruitment team wanted to complete asap.
-->Round 2 was 4 different slots, with an MD in each slot. The interviewers were respectful, and it appeared more like a discussion as they looked for behavioural aspects. However, it did worry me when one of the MDs mentioned that the JD is not what it looks like to be- I have closed the chapter in my mind, although I pretended to sit through the chat after.
The recruitment team mentioned that after the new year, we will have news, and they continued to push out the dates. Thankfully, massive layoffs struck, and I am glad that they would have picked someone internal or perhaps let the position go. Either way, the recruitment support team and HR recruitment ghosted me after.
In hindsight, it appeared to be a staged interview!