The interview process was exceptionally strung out, and received mixed messages between HR and hiring department. E.G. During a video interview a Senior Manager says something to the effect of, "[We are down to the final two candidates and just want to have a quick review with a virtual face to face meeting]". Then later I learn from another source that, "[Hiring Manager} has not made a decision as [they are] still interviewing. We're hoping to have [their] interviews wrapped up soon but are not sure on when that will happen. [They] will not make a decision until all interviews are complete." The second piece of information strongly appears to be incongruent to the first statement. This is when I knew, or at least sensed, I was being strung along and was wasting my time, thoughts, and energy.
Furthermore, the Sr. Manager interviewing me via video call was 20 minutes late and didn't seem to mind at all. They were generally unprepared, and tried swinging it using a phone with low battery to conduct the interview. Due to layman use of technology, the feed on my end lagged and then completely stopped within five minutes. To make things more awkward, the conversation lasted less than 10 minutes and I was hurried off the video conference after patiently waiting for 20 minutes. I realize sometimes meetings/calls bleed into the next, but felt this was handled unprofessionally for someone leading a department.
Ultimately, I feel the interview process was long, mismanaged, misleading, and not transparent. Maybe Salesforce has the job demand and impressive allure to conduct business in such a way. Perhaps this reflects their business (department) culture, in which case I am ultimately grateful things did not work out as first intended.
Probably I'm writing this only out of frustration over (venting) the outcome, over such an extended wait period and series of mishaps. However, my intent is to hopefully offer feedback for improvement (assuming people at CRM read these and want to improve) and put a red-flag in the ground to hopefully forewarn others seeking meaningful employment and respectful interview process. My intent is not to vilify anyone or any organization, but to paint a story of an unpleasant experience (for the second time, I might add) at the appropriate venue. Que Sera Sera.
On a positive note: Although I often initiated requests for an update, my recruiter was very responsive to me.