A former colleague referred me to the HR team in early May, and shortly afterward a recruiter reached out to schedule an introductory call. I appreciated the opportunity to connect and followed up after our conversation to reiterate my interest in the role and organization. After not hearing back for about a week, I reached out again. I even included a photo with my recently purchased Sally Beauty products (I’m a customer and use your hair color products) as a fun, personal way to reinforce my genuine connection to the brand and enthusiasm for the opportunity. The recruiter responded that she expected to have an update by the end of the week. When the week passed without an update, I followed up one final time the following Tuesday to express my continued interest. Unfortunately, I never received a response. I completely understand that companies make decisions to move forward with other candidates, and I respect that not every opportunity is the right fit. However, receiving no follow-up after multiple touchpoints (especially at the Director level and as a candidate referred internally) was surprising. Having previously led HR functions myself, I understand how challenging recruiting workloads can be. At the same time, candidate communication is a direct reflection of an organization’s culture and employer brand. Even a brief update or closure message goes a long way in showing respect for the time and interest candidates invest in the process. I have always viewed Sally Beauty positively, both as a customer and as an HR professional, which is why this experience stood out to me. My hope in sharing this feedback is simply to highlight an opportunity to strengthen the candidate experience moving forward.