Can't tell if I am being too naïve and this is just how the hiring process is or if this is actually annoying. Sorry for the long post
I just finished my undergrad in May. Throughout my whole senior year, I worked a part time internship. In March, I was approached by a supervisor at internship who said they have personally recommended me for a full time position and that I should pursue it. Naturally, I was ecstatic. It did not match perfectly with my experience, but since she had recommended me and the people I would be working under knew me, I thought my chances were good.
Fast forward 4 MONTHS later and I have completed 2 separate interviews and it has been a week since I have heard from them (this is an entry level, low paying position, not an upper management thing). I reach out and ask if there are any updates and they say they will be letting me know by end of the week but I am their top candidate. Even a bigger confidence boost! End of week comes around and they email me to let me know they have gone with someone else. I am pretty shocked and disappointed.
I continue my job search and find out said Internship Organization is hiring for another position. This one is very closely matched to what I was doing in my year long internship AND it reports to the the exact same folks I worked under for my internship so I say what the hell I'll apply. I figure, since it says they are urgently hiring, I may be able to bypass a huge and long hiring process since they a) worked with me for a whole YEAR and b) have info from my interviews for the other position. Nope. instead, all they want to know is why I didn't apply for this job first and why am i doing it now.
That was a week ago and now they are offering me another interview in 2 weeks and they sent over the questions and they are all things they know about me since I literally have worked there for a year.
Is this normal? Is it wrong that i feel dragged along and disrespected somewhat? Do hiring processes for entry level jobs last several months? Do I withdraw my app? idk what to do or if I am being taken for a ride or if this is just how it is.