After approximately one month from submitting my application, I was contacted to attend a one-hour online panel interview. The interview included a 20-minute presentation on my research background and professional experience. Although the head of the department was listed as part of the interview panel, they did not attend. The discussion itself was professional and focused on my research and prior experience. Following the interview, I did not receive any feedback, outcome, or acknowledgment from HR despite sending multiple follow-up emails over the subsequent months. A response was only received after I escalated the matter by CC’ing the department head, at which point I was told that the team was still in the process of finalizing candidates (more than three months after the interview). However, through my professional network, I had already learned that a candidate had been hired approximately one month earlier. Despite this, my application was neither formally closed nor was I informed of the outcome. Being told that the role was still under review after it had already been filled created a misleading and effectively deceptive candidate experience. This was compounded by prolonged non-responsiveness from HR, with communication occurring only after the department head was CC’d, indicating a strong reliance on hierarchical escalation rather than standard candidate care.