Interview process took over three months. Structure of the interview process was:
1) Initial phone screening with recruiter
2) Phone screening with hiring manager
3) Onsite interview with Product, Customer Strategy, Hiring Manager
4) 4 hour take home exam
5) Video call with Head of Department
6) Reference checks*
Initially, it seemed like the interview process was only a phone screening with an onsite. They seemed to be adding additional steps as I move forward. I didn't mind since I liked the team and company. However, the recruiter should be communicating this in advance.
*After moving forward with all rounds, the recruiter asked for 4 references, which I provided. After providing the 4 references, she sent a follow up email asking for a past manager. I've provided a manager from a former company, to which, I received a follow up email again, asking for the manager from my 2nd most recent company. She followed up after this, again, asking for the manager from my most recent company. This was a red flag to me and bad organization (which promotes a sort of distrust in the candidates) when you consecutively ask for more references after one another. In total, I provided 3 past managers and 4 colleagues as references. I found out not everyone was called within those 7 references (so why ask for so much?). It is a bit odd. If there was any concern, the hiring manager/recruiter should've communicated this to the candidate and set expectations up front in what was specifically needed. After all of this, I was told they decided to move forward with another candidate (which is not true, because the posting is still up).