I applied for the Sales and Service Operations Analyst role at Curriculum Associates. During my first-round interview, the manager identified that my skills and experience aligned more with the Deal Operations Specialist position, which had an open vacancy. He asked if I would be interested, and I agreed. He assured me he would recommend me for the role. The second-round interview with the director was scheduled for the following day. While I appreciated the opportunity to move forward, it raised questions later—if they didn't intend to select me, why was I advanced to this round? The first-round interview was thorough, though I felt I could have performed better. The second-round interview, however, lacked depth, with very few challenging questions. While I felt confident afterward, it was unclear how much weight this round carried in the decision-making process. The real issue arose after the interviews. Despite multiple follow-ups, I was told the role was "on hold" and later found that it had been filled without being informed directly. It took additional emails and calls to get confirmation, which could have been avoided with better communication. While the team members were professional and kind during the interviews, the overall experience left me frustrated due to the lack of clarity and feedback. It felt like a missed opportunity for the company to handle the process more transparently. I hope the organization improves its post-interview communication process, as candidates deserve timely updates, regardless of the outcome. Thankfully, I’ve since moved on to a great opportunity, but I wanted to share this experience to help improve processes for future candidate.