I applied for the position online. I heard back almost immediately from HR who set up contact with the hiring manager. Myself and the hiring manager then set up a time to meet.

Had an initial call with the hiring manager that went great, quickly connected with their boss over a Zoom call the following week which also went well. After that, met in person with hiring manager for a couple of hours to discuss role in more detail. The following week a call was scheduled with HR to discuss compensation plan and timeline on next steps regarding a potential call with VP/President and offer. Then I hit radio silence for about 10 days - then I found out I was runner-up for the position? Ultimately, each conversation was great - but that last call with HR should have never happened as I felt absolultely led on after the final decision. A very strange order of operations / process for an interview.