I was called for an interview with the hiring manager. That went well but hiring manager was hesitant about my experience in the subject matter. I was moved on to the panel so I worked very hard to display my ability to grasp the industry, including opportunities for growth of the team. I performed pretty well in the panel, with only one of the four going pretty neutral. Two weeks later, I was asked to complete a case study that I spent many hours to perfect. I wasn’t asked to present it, just send it in. Then radio silence. I emailed back two weeks later to get a “we’re still interviewing other candidates.” Two weeks after that, “hang tight, we’re not quite done.” Two weeks after that, “what role again?” The day after that “we already hired someone.” Apparently completing a HM interview, panel interview, and case study doesn’t even result in a call to tell me I wasn’t selected, and had to chase down the result myself. Disgustingly unprofessional.

It was just a weird experience for the beginning. The recruiter was a little too honest from the get-go. Told me about how overwhelmed he was and how many candidates he had talked to for this position. The interview with the hiring manager was fine, normal questions. Good conversation. Then about 15 minutes after I got off the zoom call I get a call from the recruiter that they’re going to pass due to (insert reason here). I said thanks for letting me know, have a good weekend and he hung up on me mid-sentence. I will never apply here again. I’m glad they didn’t ghost me but it felt a little raw to hear that right after the interview, and then to be hung up on was a slap in the face. If that’s what HR is like I would never want to work there.