I went through a 4 interview process where I met with the manager (what I felt was a vibe check), a case study panel presentation with the team, and then 2 one-on-ones. I prepared and took time off work to be able to accommodate all the times of the team to interview mid-day and for the separate one-on-ones. I also worked for hours on my case study presentation. I know jobs are not guaranteed and how hard this job market is, but do not put someone through all of that to drop all communication. I was rejected with an automated email tilted “Application Update” and it’s the same rejection email template everyone uses, just replaced with saying “thank you for interviewing”. I was told there would be a decision in a week, which at first there was great communication. Then the recruiter went OOO and I felt like I was being ghosted for 2 and a half weeks. I reached out to 3 people on the team thanking them for all their time and consideration because we all know interviewing is hard for both parties, but I never received a reply. The new recruiter never even said a word to me. Honestly, I’m not disappointed in not getting the job. I’m disappointed in companies not treating candidates like a human. The lack of communication and built up anxiety of not having anyone’s contact once the recruiter went OOO, made me feel helpless. I did what I could to try to reach out on LinkedIn and heard nothing. Truly one personalized email could go a long way. I will say, the team made me feel so comfortable and welcomed during the interview. It was the 3 weeks to come of getting ghosted and an automated reply which is what I’m most disappointed about.