These were the steps I went through....beginning in April and ending in August... Yes, really.
1. Applied online in April
2. In mid-July, cold call from HR Talent Lead (I had honestly forgotten about the application)
3. I received 2 assessments to complete - Personality test + Cognitive/Behavioral (IQ) Test
4. Received call from Talent Lead setting up first panel interview.
5. First panel interview (4 people). This included an HR representative & 3 directors
6. Received call from HR Talent Lead stating great feedback, progressing to next round. Scheduled second panel interview.
7. Second panel interview (2 people). This consisted of the site CFO & International Head of Controlling
8. Received call from HR Talent Lead that this feedback was also great & they wanted me to meet with another panel of directors. These were stated to be peers to the position for which I was competing.
9. Third panel interview (3 people). Three additional directors. This interview literally included someone asking me "not to sue them" and then them trying to glean my age by asking how old my kids were and triangulating that with my work and education experience dates.
10. Received email from HR Talent Lead stating they would have an update by end of week
Over the course of the next 6 weeks, I received two calls. One stating that the job description was re-worked to "be more in line with my resume and to not worry that it was the same job that had been discussed but they wanted to make sure it was more in line with the depth and breadth of my experience".
I followed up every 7-14 days, more often than not with no response. But, there were a few responses if the CFO and Head of Controlling were included in the request. Responses tended to essentially "kick the can down the road", putting off a definitive answer.
I decided to reach out one last time (at this point 5 months into the process with no closure or final answer). I received a response to my email that I would receive a call the following day to "discuss". Instead I received an auto-rejection form letter via email. This after a 5 month process across 4+ rounds of interviews/screenings and multiple calls.