I applied to Nucor Steel and didn’t hear back for almost two months. The process involved three virtual interviews, a lengthy psychological assessment, a team dinner (where I learned I was competing with an internal candidate), and a multi-hour panel interview with a presentation I spent a lot of time preparing for. The hiring manager didn’t show up to the final interview and never reached out to me afterward. Despite two follow-up emails, I received no communication until 18 days later when I received a generic rejection email.