Recruiter screen—standard questions about experience. Was evident they had looked at my resume as they asked specific questions. It followed by a task (editing, writing) that took at least 2 hours. After that task, was called by the team / hiring manager (2 people), then moved to the next step which was a final task (writing, SEO), after which there would have been an offer.

On the day of my interview, I waited for a call at the scheduled time, but six minutes passed and I hadn't received anything. Shortly after, I got an email from the HR person, stating they had called and left a voicemail, and provided a phone number for me to reach them. They also mentioned that we could chat up until 3 p.m. I responded right away, letting them know I hadn’t received a call or voicemail, and that I was still available to chat if they wanted me to call. I also confirmed my availability until 3 p.m. I chose to reply to the email first, out of respect for their time and to ensure nothing had changed, before calling directly. Fifteen minutes later, I received a response saying, "Unfortunately, we would be unable to complete a thorough screening with the time remaining. At this time, we are not scheduling additional phone screens or rescheduling calls for this position given current candidate volumes. We appreciate the time you took to apply and encourage you to keep an eye on future opportunities with us." This response was confusing and contradictory, given their earlier message. I followed up by reiterating that I hadn’t received a call or voicemail, and I withdrew my interest in future opportunities. Later, I received another reply stating, "To avoid any delays in reconnecting, I provided my direct number as I’m often pivoting and immersed in different platforms throughout the day. Unfortunately, when I got to your message, there was not enough time remaining to complete a thorough screen." I find it interesting that 1) the HR person didn't address my comments regarding the fact that I never received a phone call or voicemail and 2) that no explanation was provided as to why I was told they were available until 3 p.m. in one email and then told that they weren't rescheduling calls in the next. In my opinion, a more professional approach would have been to acknowledge the miscommunication, and offer to officially reschedule, especially since it seemed like an issue on their end. The way in which I was spoken to, it felt as though I was being blamed for something that was not my fault. Overall, I’m disappointed with how this situation was handled. I’m not quite sure what happened on their end, but the communication felt unprofessional, and I will no longer be considering this company for future opportunities.