I applied online, and a few days later I got an automated rejection email that said the company had found other candidates better matched to the role. Two days after that, I got a love-bomby email from a recruiter asking if I had time for a video chat. I met with her, and she said that my experience looked great and that I obviously had the background needed for the job. She said that she'd share my info with the hiring manager and suggested that I'd likely be moving forward. Three days after that, she emailed me and said that the company had found other candidates better matched to the role. I wrote back and thanked her -- and I also asked how I might have been more competitive for the role. Had anything in particular been missing from my experience? She replied and said that there was nothing I could have done differently in the interview (not what I had asked... ). And then she reiterated that the other candidates were just such an unbelievably good match for the team that there was no way I could have been competitive with them. She added that she'd love to work with me on another tech-writing role in the future. I didn't say so, but given the overall hot-and-cold reception and lack of clear communication, a second go is not something that particularly appeals to me. A few days later, I got an automated rejection email that was identical to the one I'd gotten at the start of the process. I understand that I'm not going to be a perfect fit for every job, but this experience was frustrating. My gut feeling is that the recruiter had reached out to me in error after the team had already identified who they wanted. (I noticed that the listing disappeared right after I'd submitted my resume.) But of course, I'll never know.