Initially the recruiter reached out to me and set up some time for me to talk with the hiring manager who kept the interview short but concentrated on what the role was and what I was looking for. The hiring manager was very friendly and knew what she was talking about. Next, they called me in for a series of in-person interviews and several over the phone. This went pretty well and concentrated on what I knew about the company and specific experiences I had (e.g. examples of campaigns I've worked on, success metrics, etc.). Interviewers included immediate members of the marketing team and several c-level executives. I left feeling pretty good about the interview and fit. About a week later I received a follow-up email from the recruiter who noted that the team wanted me in for a third round in person with more c-level types and in more of a panel interview. I was excited for this and provided him with various days and times that would work for me. After another week I didn't hear anything back so I reached out to the recruiter asking him what the status was. He followed up saying that they had decided to move forward with an internal applicant but said nothing else. Not a great way to handle an interview. It definitely left a bad taste in my mouth regarding the company and specifically how they handle interviews.

For my first real interview (after a conversation with an in-house recruiter), I was asked to prepare a presentation of how I would market their product. I was given little information and brought into a room with several people. It turned out they loved it. I had heard from the recruiter that I was one of two candidates and that they would be moving forward with me and would be sending me an offer. The morning of the day I would be receiving an offer, the recruiter called and said they had decided to hire someone internal instead. I didn't receive any follow up or regrets from anyone I would have been working with.