I applied online and was contacted to schedule a phone screen interview with a senior recruiter. The phone screen went well and seemed favorable. Afterward, the senior recruiter contacted me again to schedule a phone interview with the hiring manager. The interview with the hiring manager was conversational and covered a broad range of experiences related to the job. Despite our positive interaction, the interview was cut short at one hour due to time constraints. Following the interview, I remained optimistic. However, as time passed, it seemed they may have opened up the candidate pool and succumbed to recency bias. Despite my persistence in following up, I eventually received the disappointing news that an offer had been extended to another candidate. When I sought feedback, I did not receive any explicit reasons for the decision. However, the outcome left me with the impression that factors beyond my qualifications may have influenced the decision. Overall, while the interview process was engaging, the outcome was disappointing, and the lack of clarity in feedback added to the frustration.