I went through multiple rounds for this role, including conversations with the recruiter, hiring manager, the team, and a full portfolio presentation. I invested a significant amount of time preparing and engaging with everyone throughout the process. I completely understand not being selected. That’s part of it. What I found disappointing was the way it was handled afterward. Receiving a generic, no-reply rejection email after that level of time and effort felt impersonal and, honestly, a bit disrespectful. What made it worse was being directed to explore opportunities to sell or promote the company’s product immediately after being rejected. That came across as transactional and tone-deaf given the context. I value thoughtful communication and mutual respect in a hiring process, and this experience didn’t reflect that. It left me feeling like candidates are treated more like numbers than people.