A month after I applied, a recruiter emailed me and thanked me for our phone screen (which we'd never had) and set up a next meeting with the hiring manager: we'd never had a first one. I didn't bring this up. I also wasn't entirely certain what position he thought we'd chatted about (which we hadn't), but I wanted the next interview so I didn't mention any of this. I actually very much enjoyed the call with the hiring manager, but it was more conversational: the usual questions about my experience in the industry and what I was looking for in a role. And then, as per so many companies these days, never heard from them again. It was a surreal, disjointed and disorganized experience. While I personally liked the hiring manager (and sent on a few thank-you emails), the process was strange and somewhat confusing and I wonder if they had me mixed up with another candidate.

After about a month I received a follow-up from a recruiter who set up an intro meeting with the hiring manager. That was followed by a panel interview where I reviewed my portfolio and had conversations around my experience with 4 members of the design organization. Everything went well to that point, but it unfortunately ended in being ghosted. That’s not something I’d expect from a company of this caliber. There was no response to a couple of my follow-up emails, and unfortunately a good experience was ruined by having no respect for candidates.