The process began with an initial recruiter call, which was fine. I was later transitioned to a different recruiter who communicated brilliantly—until a certain point. The process followed a standard structure: an introduction with the hiring manager, a portfolio review, and multiple conversations with engineers. Throughout these stages, feedback was positive, and communication was consistent. The final stage, however, involved an interview with the department head, which was unexpectedly unprofessional. The questions were rude, and the feedback lacked clarity and directness. Following this, I was informed that other candidates would also begin the process, and an additional stage would be added. I was told to expect an update on the next steps. Despite waiting nearly a month, no further communication was received. Instead, I discovered that the role had been reposted. This experience suggests a concerning practice of ghosting and a lack of respect for candidates' time and professional boundaries.

After a recruiter screening call, I had a Zoom interview with the hiring manager at Vanta, which was followed by an extensive onsite session. The onsite involved back-to-back interviews featuring a portfolio presentation, product demo, discussions with the product manager, and a separate problem-solving design challenge to create a group travel app, followed by an interview with an engineer. Though the process was lengthy and overall positive, receiving a template thank-you email with no offer after investing so much time felt like a complete waste.