The HR representative was very kind she reached out to me the day after I applied online. I had a screening with her, only thing I thought was weird was that no benefits were mentioned and the salary wasn't mentioned either, but it was on the job posting. I moved on to the next round and had an interview with the hiring manager and it went really well, I found out that I got to move to the next round. The next round was with two individuals who were a part of the team I was given a very vague prompt where I had to create a deck to present, as well as some data that I have to find a mistakes with. After I finished my presentation, I was asked how I did and I said I thought I did pretty well and that there's always a challenge with having to build on a prompt and create your own scenario. The interviewers both agree that I did really well and only gave a small amount of feedback that I was filling in space for what the client would have said and answering before they had a chance to ask the question but they specified that this was such a small thing and that if I had actually known the client it would be different. I was very much under the impression that I would move on to the next round, especially since we had been joking and having a good time during the interview, but I found out the next day that I did not get to move on to the next round. The HR representative said that the feedback from the team was that I had really strong project management skills, but I did not have the communication style they were looking for for this project. This was extremely shocking to me, not only because of the feedback I got during the interview, but also because communication and relationship building with the client is my strongest point that I've ever had in my 14 years of PM experience. I asked the HR representative if she could get more clarity, mainly because the feedback seemed very contradictory to what I was told the day prior by the interviewers. She very sweetly said she would look into it and get back to me. I'm hoping to get some clarity because I have never been told that I was lacking in communication skills. Especially since I had worked for the Department of education, a top-tier university, and even a local school districts implementing multiple softwares, I'm really confused at the outcome, but completely understand that not everything is meant to be.

- 30 min Recruiter screen (went over 15 min) - 1 hr 1:1 with Chief Customer Officer - 1 hr Role Play Presentation / Data Review Exercise (significant prep work) - 2 hr Panel Interview / Cultural Fit ————— I did not make it to the last two portions - 3 reference check phone calls - Final Interview with CEO
 *Note: In between interviews, I received multiple emails, texts, and a 30-minute ad hoc phone call from the recruiter. ------ Pros: * The process moved quickly and the recruiter was communicative * The individuals I met on the PM / Implementation teams were thoughtful, sharp, and seemed genuinely invested in the work. It would be a seriously great team to join! * The Chief Customer Officer interview stood out as professional, mission-aligned, and clear. Cons: * While I understand the need for rigor in hiring for a client-facing role, the interview process is time-intensive. * The initial screen with the recruiter went over by 15 minutes, and I barely spoke. Odd for a screening call. Midway through my interview journey, the recruiter called me out of the blue for a 30-minute unscheduled conversation to confirm salary, benefits, and competing interviews. These were probably things that should have been handled during our initial call. * A surprising red flag: both a co-founder and the CEO (found out in interviews that they are married) are involved in late-stage interviews for a mid-level role. Felt off for a company of ~80 people aiming to scale. * The “cultural fit” part of the panel interview with a co-founder was redundant and more like a re-screen of my qualifications than a values- or team-alignment conversation. * When I was ultimately rejected, the feedback was vague and contradictory (I had been “too involved in implementations”... for an implementation role?), and when gently pressed, the recruiter admitted she didn’t know much as she “wasn’t in the interviews”. After six conversations with their team and nearly every day “check-in” communication with a very positive tone, the lack of clarity at the end was really disappointing.