Briefly calculated and see around 7 people waiting to be interviewed. Interview was conducted by a panel of 4 persons, 3 from the Hiring dept and 1 from HR. HR informed to revert in 2 to 4 weeks' time after interview.
Received a call on the 3rd week, checking on my interest in the job and said they will be offering me a position. Continued to contact me closely in the nx 2 working days, checking on my employment history, existing company's bonus benefits and even revealed they had already contacted my past employer for background check.
There was no call from HR by the end of the 4th week and when I emailed to check, HR informed that they are still pending various clearances but should be able to revert by end of the 5th week.
Waited till the end of the 5th week and there's still no news, so decided to call HR before the day ends. Was rather surprised to hear about a decision change as they have found someone more relevant to do the job. Didn't want to end the conversation awkwardly, so politely asked them to keep me in mind if there are other suitable positions available. Immediate response given: oh if you still have interest with us, you have to reapply through Careers@Gov.
Wondered why the hiring manager changed his/her mind within 2 weeks as they had 3 full weeks after interview to do the selection. Their background checks done with my character referee (who is my current employer) had implications on me too.
Personality test and Written test conducted before interview.