I recently interviewed with ABC Fitness, and while the initial stages went well, the process left me feeling gaslighted and disrespected. After a positive first interview, I had a follow-up with the hiring manager, who was late but still gave great feedback, saying I was a strong fit and mentioning future projects and teams. He assured me I’d move to the next phase, a design challenge, and that the recruiter would reach out with details. However, after waiting over a week with no word, I followed up but received no response. Weeks passed with no updates, and after four weeks of silence, I got a vague rejection email saying they selected another candidate. While I understand they found a better fit, the lack of communication and sudden rejection left me feeling disrespected. It's disappointing when companies create expectations and then leave you hanging without closure. I hope they improve their transparency in the future.