Met with Recruiting team over the phone and was told they weren't sure if they were going to hire or not, but that I "had to meet" the senior executive responsible for the area.
Over the following 2-3 weeks I had 3 1-hour phone conversations with this individual during which we did have a rapport, and there seemed to be a fit for the role. There was an occasional mention that he wasn't sure if they would hire for this role or not, but wouldn't provide details on the decision making process. I suspect that I was being interviewed as a possible replacement for an employee who was not performing, and they had not made the decision.
The last communication we had was a promise to meet in person the next time this person was in my city location, which was set to be within the next 2-3 weeks. He indicated he makes frequent visits to this location.
After that, they went dark, completely, didn't return calls and didn't provide any feedback.
Obviously I understand that if there wasn't an opening, or if I wasn't a fit. I am disappointed in how they handled it, however, especially because our last communication was trending toward an in-person meeting. If something had changed, I would have appreciated the courtesy of a call to notify me that I was no longer being considered, especially because of the senior nature of the role in question and the amount of time investment we mutually made into the process.
This is not an unusual practice when a recruiter contacts you to discuss a possible role - in fact it is quite common. I have no negative opinion of Sogeti as a result but I do think that truly exceptional companies strive to do better.