Quick initial contact by the CEO himself. He was jovial enough in the beginning but then openly sighed quite a bit toward the end of the 20 minute screening call. About ten days after being told I would hear whether or not I'd be called in for a face-to-face interview, I received a quick and friendly note to hang in there a bit longer. I did, and I was happy to land an interview. On the day I received confirmation of my date/time of interview, I also received conflicting information. HR said one thing. The CEO said the other. But, that was quickly cleared up once I asked for clarification.
The interview started on time, and although the interview schedule was changed up a bit, it was personable and thorough. Many did not introduce themselves nor indicated their roles much less the reasons why they participated in the panel interview. Also, the presence of the CEO throughout most of the process seemed to restrain the level of candor from panel members. In retrospect, there is a high level of involvement on his part that controls who says what, when, why, and how. The financial executive often looked like he was falling asleep which was at least somewhat distracting.
By the end of the interview, the CEO said he would call back by the end of the week with a decision on next steps or "thanks anyway." Weeks passed, and after my periodic prompts, he finally sent a very short sentence to say it wasn't the right fit right now.