I was referred to Rivian through a contact in my network and was encouraged to apply for a position close to my current one. I applied in March, but then the COVID shutdown happened. I didn't hear anything from Rivian until I followed up with my contact, and was then quickly contacted.

I had a phone interview in early June where there was a lot of interest, and then heard nothing. After a few days, I received an automated rejection letter and thought that was it.

Two weeks later, I was contacted by a different recruiter for the same position and had a phone interview set up with the hiring manager. That interview went really well, and I was told to expect a third interview. I had to prod the process along at all times and I wonder if any action would have taken place if I hadn't.

I had my final interview in the beginning of July, and as mentioned in other interviews, it was a half-day marathon of one-on-ones. The original recruiter was the one conducting this interview; I'm not sure why.

At the end of the interview, I was told that I would have a response "by next Tuesday or Wednesday at the latest." I waited, and waited, and waited for more than three weeks past "next Tuesday or Wednesday" to get a rejection email, again after prodding and prodding. At least they didn't ghost me (mainly because I didn't let them).

What end-of-line quality checks do you look for in a process?