Goldman Sachs does this.

PP here: my DH has actually been in talks for 3 MONTHS, with multiple interviews every single week during that time, for one position!!! A rather important one, but still...
For his current post, he had to do more than 3 rounds of interviews, one on Skype because he was out of the country. The whole thing took months.

So play along OP, especially if you really want the job. Hiring in many fields is getting much more difficult than 5 or 10 years ago.

It's the new normal for my DH, who is in biomedical research. The higher the position, the more people, and interviews, and meetings, and presentations, he has to do!

It's getting a little crazy.

Go with the flow, and good luck!

OP, I don't have the experience to comment on what these multiple meetings mean with regards to the company culture but it is an opportunity to ask strategic questions of the people you talk to and listen carefully to what people do and do not say to get a sense of how things really operate behind the scenes.

It's normal at many federal agencies to "reach out" and get "alignment" with other divisions about any decision. 'Alignment' and 'consensus' along with 'stakeholder' are the huge navel-gazing watchwords. So no, this is not abnormal.

Anonymous wrote:It's normal at Google. It's normal at law firms.

OP again. Could you elaborate on Google and law firms? How many interviews is "normal"?

I do want to work at this company, which has a good reputation. It's a place where people stay for a long time. It pays well, and is supposed to be a decent place to work.

But this lengthy interview process is new to me. It's tough to impress 15 people (now more!). I fear I'm going to invest yet another day interviewing at this place, and then end up their #2 choice!!

Why does HR have so much power these days? At this company, HR is an active part of the process, which is new to me too. HR is just administrative at my current employer. They don't have any input as to who is hired.

I don't care if it is normal. I wouldn't want to work there.

It's normal at Google. It's normal at law firms.

I agree- I'd go to two in office interviews at most. I've had very long interview processes involving tests and phone calls but a lot of that was done remotely or all in the same office visit. Unless these are very unique circumstances (like someone very important who has to sign off on the hire was out that day because of a family emergency or an important work commitment), it is a giant red flag. It's also an indication that they don't respect your time. IMO, I don't need to be treated like a king, but I expect to be treated like my time is valuable.

I agree that it's a sign that the company is very "matrixed" and that it is difficult to get anything done quickly or without consensus.

I once had a day of interviews where I went from 9-2pm with 6 different people. They didn't even schedule a lunch for me. It was at a Fortune 200 company in the DC area here but not one that is regularly in the "best places to work". They were pretty unclear about what they wanted in the role anyway, so by the end I was happy they were showing me their true culture via the interview.

Anonymous wrote:Anyone else? I've been asked to come back for a third round of interviews!!! Unbelievable!! I want the job, though. Has anyone heard of this? I feel like I'm going to meet the housekeeper and CEO at the next round!!

HR people out there? Is this "normal" these days?

It's not "normal" and is in my mind an enormous red flag. It sounds like a lame-assed organization that is trying to "empower" its internal Loser Patrol by giving everyone a "vote" on a mid level hire. If you take this job you will be in meetings all day every day listening to people hash out their "feelings" on matters of supreme irrelevance.

It sounds like you might be part of some experiment.

Anyone else? I've been asked to come back for a third round of interviews!!! Unbelievable!! I want the job, though. Has anyone heard of this? I feel like I'm going to meet the housekeeper and CEO at the next round!!

HR people out there? Is this "normal" these days?

I am not sure you want that job. All those fucking people. Seems like those fuckers have too much time on their hands. I like the word fuck today! But this would blow me on so many levels. Who the fuck were all those people. Are you like some intermediary between departments who has to deal with inter department communication.

I'm up for a job I really want that seems like a great fit for me. I've been brought in four times and met with 15 different people, and they say they are not done yet!! WTF??!!!

I'm genuinely curious: is this the new normal? Or is it the new normal for a mid-level management job?

I've been at my current employer for 12 years. When I was hired, I had two interviews, and got the job.

Any HR people out there who can explain this? At my current employer, we bring people in twice, usually, have them meet with five or six people, tops, and then make a decision.

Meeting with so many people seems insane, and like a colossal waste of time and resources. For a mid-level job??