Started with a basic phone screen, then a group panel interview. There were supposed to be four total members in the interview (1 hour scheduled, approx. 35 minutes call duration), but only 2 were present and another joined 30 minutes into the interview. When the late interviewer joined, they asked two questions that we had previously discussed and it changed the whole vibe of the interview. This interview occurred on a Monday (I was one of the first to interview) and was told to not check back until the following Wednesday. I emailed the hiring manager that following Wednesday and received no response, I also left a voicemail on that Friday. After being unable to contact the hiring manager by the following Wednesday (1 week after I was initially told to check back), I finally contacted HR where I learned 3 things: 1) Recruiters are a part of the hiring process - I’ve only spoken with the hiring managers regarding open positions. 2) The hiring manager was going to be out of the office for a week. 3) A decision was already made to go with another candidate. Had I not reached out to HR I would’ve had to wait, at minimum, another week for an answer, and that’s assuming I wasn’t going to be ghosted. Disappointing that my time seemed optional both during and after the panel interview.