Experts that CNBC Make It spoke to said they've observed a "significant increase" in the number of job seekers facing an extended interview process over the past year. That makes a total of 9 interviews, for a job that 32-year-old Ayomi Samaraweera said she did not eventually get. But the growing phenomenon of lengthy interviews reflects the highly competitive nature of the current job market, he added. "That's why recruiters are haphazardly adding steps to the interview process and it's a terrible candidate experience." "How a company presents itself during the interview process is very telling about the company culture as a whole," she added.

---

Persons: they've, That's, Samaraweera, Steven Leitch, Josh Bersin, Jim Sykes, Leitch, Richard Lambert, Amy Zimmerman, Monica Revuelta Organizations: CNBC, Josh Bersin Company, AMS, Jim Sykes Global