This 'interview' with NetApp was quite peculiar and not really much of an 'interview' per se -- but it is important for me to share this experience with my fellow Glassdorians in case they find themselves in a similar predicament.
I had never applied to or interviewed at NetApp before. Out of the blue, an executive recruiter reached out to me saying that a Senior Director had come across my profile and was interested in me because of my background in Management Consulting and Corporate Strategy with a strong focus on M&A. I was not looking for a job... but I thought I'd explore this opportunity. The recruiter further went to to say that the hiring team "very much liked my profile" and they were eager to speak with me.
Then he (the recruiter) had me fill out all these lengthy pre-screening administrative questions and said that he would circle back with some interview dates & times. That was the last I heard from NetApp. After weeks, I have sent numerous follow ups, but still no response.
"Ghosting" a candidate is never cool and it makes the company look very bad. It is downright unprofessional and discourteous, especially given that I didn't even apply to this role; they had approached me. Furthermore, having me do all this paperwork and even acknowledge this is profoundly shameful. Just think about this: if this is how they treat candidates, just imagine how they would treat their own employees! Today's candidates are tomorrow's leaders and they will keep in mind unpleasant experiences perhaps even abstaining from doing business with companies that treat people like second-class citizens.
Finally, in a twist if irony, not joining NetApp was blessing in disguise because this other large cap tech company --- a competitor of NetApp --- made me an offer I could't refuse. I recently came to learn that NetApp tried to sell itself to my new company but we declined to acquire NetApp largely due to many red flags including its troubling mistreatment of people. It is a small world out there and I hope both potential employers and employees with treat each other with respect, dignity, professionalism, courtesy and compassion.