Several stages deep- 5 interviews/tests over a span of at least 7 hours- only to get to the very end and be rejected with no explanation why. It’s sort of like college hazing or an interrogation tactic- they tell you they want you to be wildly candid and that they value it at the company, but then it seems to backfire when you’re actually candid. They also make it appear that you’re going to have a job there and it turns out to be for nothing. If they ever followed up with me in the future and wanted me to work there, I would decline, because the culture there is unhinged.

I spoke with the recruiter and completed one interview round with the hiring manager before they decided not to move forward. While I didn’t advance further, I appreciated how quickly they communicated and that they didn’t leave me hanging, something that’s rare these days with slow responses and ghosting being so common. Everyone I interacted with was friendly and professional, which made the process positive overall.