I experienced communication issues during the interview process almost immediately. It started when I received a text message from the recruiter inquiring about my availability for a screening call. Typically, I have found that recruiters will communicate via text message if they require an urgent response. However, when I replied minutes later, I did not hear back from her until almost a full day later, but only after I emailed her and texted her multiple times to confirm she had received my messages. I was also surprised that she ignored my emails throughout the process and chose to reply only via text. She never apologized nor provided any explanation for the delayed responses. This continued for almost two days before she finally scheduled our call based on the original time slot I had provided. During our call, I inquired about the number of interview stages and the overall timeline I should expect, but the recruiter seemed unable to provide this critical information. I let her know that I was being considered for another opportunity, and that there was a possibility I would need to make a decision within the next week or so. She indicated that she would follow up with the hiring team to get some additional information, but that she would still recommend me to proceed with the interview process. She also indicated that she would let the hiring team know about my timeline and encourage them to be ready to make a decision shortly after the panel interview since she felt that I was an excellent candidate for the role. I never received any follow-up information from the recruiter after that call! Two days before my panel interview, I was offered a position for another opportunity that I was pursuing. When I reached out to the recruiter to let her know via text, I did not receive any response. I also followed up via email and inquired whether she would still recommend I proceed with my panel interview given that I only had a couple days to make a decision. Again, I did not hear back from her. Since I wanted to weigh my options in the event the hiring team was able to provide feedback shortly after the interview, I decided to keep my upcoming appointment. During the panel interview, it was apparent the hiring team was unaware of the information I had shared with the recruiter as there was no sense of urgency in making a decision. They indicated they would need two weeks before proceeding with an addition stage of the interview process. I was highly disappointed that the recruiter was unable to relay any critical information to me or the team. Since our timelines were obviously not aligned, I decided to withdraw my application and accept the offer I had received for the other opportunity. The slow and poor communication I received from the recruiter and the obvious lack of communication between the recruiter and hiring team throughout the interview process reflects poorly on the company and will likely continue to create similar negative experiences for future candidates.