So this position was actually through a contract through BU but was 100% offsite at VA Boston. I applied online in November 2023, and got a tentative offer in February 2024. I got a phone call and then a panel interview. There was a huge gap in between though so you got to keep emailing them. The whole interview process was with the VA but then after forwarding my references to them, I had to submit my references again to BU hiring team. Then I was promptly rejected and never heard back from my contact at VA Boston. I never got an explanation as to what happened. My theory is that they either didn't intend to hire anyone, they had to cut off any hiring cause the VA department's funding was being cut off or they simply had someone else who was a better fit.

In a word: cold. I tried my best but it seemed like they were not interested from the get-go and had someone else in mind. They did not seem interested in my character or attitude, only what experience I had, which struck me as odd. I would want to work somewhere with a better culture than I perceived.