I applied for a role at the corporate level and was granted a first-round interview without speaking to a recruiter first, so I went in knowing nothing about salary, in-office requirements, etc. I asked the recruiter for these details but was never given an answer. With that being said, I took the initial interview because I was really interested in the position and did eventually get those details from the team. From there, I was passed along to the Hiring Manager who told me transparently they were close to an offer, which I appreciated. He said he would keep me in mind for other roles as they built out the team. However, I then received an email later that week requesting my availability for a full-panel of interviews in the "loop." I spoke with the VP for an hour, then had five, hour-long, back-to-back interviews that were all led by execs. The next day, I was interviewed by the Hiring Manager again for an hour. They were pretty difficult, and lasted the entire hour. All in all, I spent 9 hours interviewing with the team. In the end, I got a one-sentence email saying "You didn't clear the loop but good luck in your search!" In order to receive top talent, you have to treat candidates well and this was the exact opposite. I was shocked at this process. I spent 9 hours of my time and energy prepping, studying, learning about the company, taking time off work, and getting to know them, only to be rejected through an email that felt like it had been copy and pasted. I'd avoid wasting your time on this lengthy process. While I understand that not every candidate can receive detailed feedback, I was informed that I was a finalist so I would expect a certain level of respect when being informed I wasn't selected.