It moved very quickly in the beginning and then came to a halt. I had a phone interview, an in-person interview, another phone interview where they said they’d be lucky to have me, and then met in person with department members, the head of HR and the CEO. This all happened within 3 weeks. Then they asked for my references (including one from my direct supervisor) which they contacted immediately. Usually when a company asks for references , it’s because they are at the end of their search but it seems that was not the case here. I follow-up after a few weeks and was told I was still being considered. About a month later, HR emailed me to say I was still being considered and asked if I was still interested. Then COVID-19 hit and I understand that added additional time but was eventually informed that they were going in another direction 6 months after my initial interview.