I could not have had a better experience during the interview process but for a few really glaring red flags. First, I interviewed 4 times, plus an initial screening, and never once would they give me a salary band. I asked during every interview. Every interviewer told me how perfect of a fit I was for the role. My final interview even went 20 minutes over, it was natural and conversational. I could tell they and I were all genuinely excited to have found a match. My credentials are excellent. They told me I fit the culture and they wanted to make an offer that I'd be excited to accept (though again, a number was never given). Two weeks later, I had heard nothing. I look on LinkedIn to see the role had been reposted. I reached out to the recruiter and didn't hear anything. I reach out to the hiring manager and didn't hear anything. Finally the recruiter wrote back saying how great it was to meet me, how everyone genuinely enjoyed getting to know me, and how they are going with another candidate. Baffled is a gentle word for how that felt. The hiring manager also thanked me and confirmed that they enjoyed getting to know me and would like to work together one day. I interviewed for over a month and was as close to being told I had an offer coming as one can get without seeing the paperwork.
Please give people the courtesy of an explanation when you have them spend so much time and energy for a month jumping through hoops for you. And please. Please give a salary range at the start of the process. This really great experience turned into feeling like a huge waste of time in a hurry. Super disappointed.