Review: After going through two separate interview processes with Gusto — involving a total of 13 interviewers over the span of 3.5 months — I ultimately received an automated rejection email. To add insult to injury, the email explicitly stated that I could not request feedback, which felt dismissive and disrespectful given the time and energy I invested. During my final interview, the interviewer even commented on my nervousness, which struck me as unprofessional and counterproductive — calling out someone's nerves mid-interview only serves to heighten them, not alleviate them. I had reservations about agreeing to go through yet another lengthy process with Gusto, but I chose to proceed because I believed in the values the company promotes on its website, and the people I initially met seemed genuinely happy (silly me for thinking that was a reflection of the company culture). Despite Gusto’s low ratings across multiple review platforms, I gave them the benefit of the doubt — again, silly me. As an HR professional, I strive to ensure that every person I interact with leaves feeling respected and valued, regardless of the outcome. Gusto, unfortunately, did the opposite — dragging me through an overly lengthy process only to discard me like yesterday’s news. The contrast was stark — interviewers repeatedly expressed how excited they were to meet me, only for it to end with a cold, impersonal rejection email. Why not personalize the message even slightly? Why not offer an opportunity to request feedback? Don’t HR professionals have a responsibility to help foster growth for people, especially those you sought out — not once, but twice — and led through two full cycles? As a small business owner, I would never recommend working with Gusto. If this is how they treat prospective employees, I can only imagine how they treat their customers. To quote Maya Angelou: "People will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel."