I had a great initial call, and left feeling excited about the opportunity. However, my second interview with a VP began with multiple interruptions due to an unforeseen personal circumstance. She needed to pause and mute the conversation several times, which is completely understandable. That said, it was clear she wasn’t fully present or in the right headspace to conduct an interview, and I was told there might be a follow-up conversation to ensure a fair assessment. Following that call, I emailed to express my continued interest and asked if the team could share a time for a follow-up meeting. Instead, I received a message stating that after meeting additional candidates, the team didn’t feel it was the right match. I was surprised, as I didn’t feel I was given a full or fair opportunity to showcase my skills during the second conversation. I did follow up with the recruiter to respectfully share this context, but I never received a response. I was disappointed in how the process was handled, especially after such a strong start. I share this not out of frustration, but in the hope that it may help improve the candidate experience in the future.