I recently interviewed for the HR Intern Assistant position at the Detroit Area Agency on Aging (DAAA). I was genuinely interested in this opportunity because I had just earned my Master’s in Employment and Labor Relations from Wayne State University, and I’m actively seeking at least six months to one year of direct HR experience in the U.S. Although I have over 15 years of experience in humanitarian, compliance, and protection roles in conflict zones, I have been applying strategically for HR internships to gain local HR exposure and build my career in this field. Unfortunately, when I arrived at the DAAA office after commuting for two hours and spending several days preparing for the interview, the HR Manager, Patricia, immediately informed me that the position had become unpaid. This was never communicated to me in advance. In fact, the job posting on Glassdoor/Indeed mentioned "competitive pay." She told me she was supposed to email me about this change but never did; then she said it might be stuck in the draft. She then shared her own career story and suggested that if she were in my position, she would volunteer for six months at various organizations to gain HR experience for no money. There was no apology, no proper explanation, and no acknowledgment of the time and effort I had spent preparing and commuting for the interview. The experience was disappointing and discouraging. I’m sharing this here to emphasize the importance of transparency and clear communication in the hiring process. Candidates deserve to be informed upfront about any significant changes to a role, especially when they are investing their time, resources, and energy in good faith. I welcome any thoughts or similar experiences from the Glassdoor community.