Had a phone screening call with the recruiter and then a call with the hiring manager. Both calls went well but didn't hear anything for 3 weeks. I emailed the recruiter who responded later in the day saying they've identified a final candidate and thanks for checking in with them. How do these recruiters keep their job when they're so lousy at communicating with applicants? The professional and respectful thing to do is proactively let the applicant know they're not moving on in the process. Why would an applicant want to work at a company that shows how unprofessional they are and they really lack in communications skills - #1 priority for a recruiter! Don't even bother with Vertex - not worth your time and effort.