The process started with a phone interview with the recruiter, who was super nice and professional. She asked thoughtful questions to ensure my experience and skills aligned with the role, which made me feel optimistic about the opportunity. I was then moved forward to a video interview with the hiring manager. He was friendly and asked questions to get to know me better, which initially put me at ease. However, as the interview progressed, it became difficult to discern what he was looking for in a candidate. Despite tying my experience and skills directly to the role and expressing a strong passion for the industry, I got the sense that he wasn’t fully convinced I was the right fit. It felt like he might have already had another candidate in mind. After the interview, I received an email informing me that I would not be moving forward. The feedback I received didn’t outline any specific concerns about my background or provide recommendations on how I could improve for the future. This left me feeling like I was just another number in the process, interviewed to meet a quota rather than as a genuine candidate for the role.