After two and a half months of interviews—five rounds total—plus an in-person skills test that I completed with ease in under 50 minutes (I've done these many times before), it all ended with a rejection. I brought fresh ideas to the table that no one on the executive team had even considered, thanks to nearly a decade of experience in this field. I rearranged my life, waking up my cousin early to watch my son for the hours I spent traveling, paying for transportation costs, and sending follow-up thank you notes after every round. This experience was exhausting and frustrating, especially after my fiancée and I have been actively job hunting for over a year.