Multiple phone interviews, 3 hour on-site/Skype interview in Buckhead (ATL). After interviews were completed, I was given a call by their recruiting manager who was very excited to make me a verbal offer, then told me that a written offer would be sent early the next week.
On Tuesday of the next week, I received a very short email from the recruiting manager. It stated, "Unfortunately, I have some bad news. The team has decided to pursue other candidates and we will not be making you an offer." When I inquired as to why the abrupt change of heart, UT's reply was, "We had other candidates in process, including a referral that has very relevant industry experience and a strong recommendation from the internal employee."
So, they thought I was good enough to offer and then backed out a few days later. Unfortunately, after receiving this offer, I subsequently turned down two other offers, as UT was my first choice, which were then lost.
What struck me most, in this poor experience, was that after the hours of prep and interview time, meeting me in person, and presenting me a verbal offer, my sudden and unexpected rejection was delivered via email with limited explanation. This is incredibly unprofessional and did not leave me with a good impression of the company. It is singularly the worst hiring experience I've ever had (and much of my career is in the HR world).
If I were given the option to work with UserTesting in the future, this experience would weigh heavily on my decision to give them my business, and this will surely be a story I share with my colleagues and business associates.